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Elections & Voting
Phone: (601) 359-9372

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• Elections & Voting
• Ballot measures

Registering to Vote

General Information

Who can register

To register in Mississippi you must:

• be a citizen of the United States
• have lived in Mississippi and in your county (and city, if applicable) 30 days before Election Day
• be 18 years old by the time of the general election in which you want to vote
• have not been convicted of voter fraud, murder, rape, bribery, theft, arson, obtaining money or goods under false pretense, perjury, forgery, embezzlement, armed robbery, extortion, felony bad check, felony shoplifting, larceny, receiving stolen property, robbery, timber larceny, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, statutory rape, carjacking, or larceny under lease or rental agreement, or have had your rights restored as required by law
• not have been declared mentally incompetent by a court

How to register

1. Use our Register to Vote form below to fill out the National Voter Registration Form.
2. Sign and date your form. This is very important!
3. Mail or hand-deliver your completed form to the address we provide.
4. Make sure you register before the voter registration deadline.

Election Day registration
N/A

Voting Rights restoration

If you have been convicted of a felony and have questions about whether you can register to vote, visit Restore Your Vote to determine your eligibility.

Registration Status (form)

New Registration (form)

Voting

General Information

Voting as a Student

Learn more from Campus Vote Project about voting for students.

Overseas and Military Voting

You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.

If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.

Voting with Disabilities

If you are permanently disabled, you can register to be on the voter disabled list and will automatically be sent a ballot. To register as a disabled citizen, you must get a signed statement from your physician stating you are permanently disabled. The new voting machines provide accessible voting for many disabled. If necessary, you can choose a person to assist you with your voting.

For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.

Early Voting

Early voting does not exist in Mississippi. However, you may vote absentee ballot in person at your local circuit clerk’s office (office hours vary, check with your local clerk’s office).

Vote by Mail (Absentee)

Absentee ballot rules

You may vote by absentee ballot in Mississippi if:

• you will be away from your county on Election Day for any reason;
• you are a student, teacher, or administrator at a school whose studies or employment there necessitates your absence from your county on Election Day; or you are the spouse or dependent thereof;
• you have a temporary or permanent physical disability that renders you unable to vote in person without substantial hardship;
• you are the parent, spouse, or dependent of a person with a temporary or permanent physical disability who is hospitalized outside of their county of residence or more than fifty (50) miles away, and you (the parent, spouse or dependent) will be with that person on Election Day;
• you are sixty-five (65) years of age or older;
• you will be unable to vote in person because you are required to be at work on Election Day during the times at which the polls will be open;
• you are a member, spouse, or dependent of the congressional delegation;
• you are a disabled war veteran (or spouse or dependant of such a person) in a hospital;
• you are a member (or spouse or dependant of such a person) of the Merchant Marine or American Red Cross.

How to get Absentee ballot

1. Use our Absentee Ballot form below to prepare your application.
2. Sign and date the form. This is very important!
3. Return your completed application to your Local Election Office as soon as possible. We’ll provide the mailing address for you.
4. All Local Election Offices will accept mailed or hand-delivered forms. If it’s close to the deadline, call and see if your Local Election Office will let you fax or email the application.
5. Make sure your application is received by the deadline. Your application must actually arrive by this time — simply being postmarked by the deadline is insufficient.
6. Please contact your Local Election Office if you have any further questions about the exact process.

What to do next

• Once you receive the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions.
• Sign and date where indicated.
• Mail your voted ballot back to the address indicated on the return envelope.
• Your voted ballot must arrive by the deadline or it will not be counted.

Absentee ballot application deadline

By Mail: 8 days before Election Day.

Absentee ballot submission deadline

Received 1 day before Election Day (by mail); Received 3 days before Election Day (in person).

Absentee Ballot (form)

Elections Alert (Form)

Pollling Information

Polling Place Locator

You can find your polling place by utilizing your state resource.

If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.

Polling Place Hours

Polls will be open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Poll Worker Information

In order to be a poll worker in Mississippi, you must:

• Be registered to vote in Mississippi
• Be entitled to compensation
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be a resident of the county
• Complete required training
• Students 16 or older who are enrolled in high school and have residency in the county or municipality may work with a recommendation from the principal

To sign up, contact your local board of elections.

Elections & Voting

The Elections division has many roles in assuring that Mississippians’ voices are heard clearly through the election process. These roles include training elections officials, collecting campaign finance and lobbying reports, managing the statewide vot​er registry, collecting election returns, and assisting local election officials in carrying out their election related responsibilities.

The Agency has consistently advocated for transparency and disclosure of public information filed with the Elections Division related to officials, candidates, and lobbyists. Voters’ social security numbers, birthdates, and other private information, however, is not available to the public under Mississippi law. Please be on notice the Agency will not release this information in response to a public records request from any entity or individual​.

Secretary of State

Secretary of State Michael David Watson, Jr., was born and raised in Mississippi. He is a husband to his loving wife Lauren, father of three beautiful young daughters, the son of a shipyard worker and bank teller. After his work as a pipe fitter, Michael’s father entered the ministry and continues to serve as pastor at Liberty Church in Gautier. His mother passed away shortly before Michael became Mississippi’s thirty-sixth Secretary of State.

Prior to taking office as Secretary of State in January 2020, Michael served three terms in the State Senate where he represented District 51 in Jackson County. During his time in the Mississippi Legislature, he authored the Fetal Protection Act, which strengthened the penalties for injuring an unborn child. He also wrote Mississippi’s first comprehensive law to tackle illegal immigration, as well as legislation to allow alternate-track diplomas—one of the first efforts to return a focus to career and technical training for high school students. More of Michael’s proposals came to fruition in the State Senate, including the Catastrophe Savings Accounts which allows for pretax savings accounts to be used on deductibles or other catastrophe-related expenses, and the Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act that provides scholarships for parents with a special needs child, allowing them the ability to choose which education option best fits their child. In addition, Governor Phil Bryant asked Michael to introduce the legislation adding “In God We Trust” to our state seal. During his time in the State Senate, Michael became known as a conservative fighter for his work to preserve Mississippians’ rights and religious liberties, and to limit government overreach and spending. Michael brings these same conservative principles to the Secretary of State’s office.

A graduate of Pascagoula High School and the University of Mississippi, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a law degree, Michael began his work in public service in the summer of 1999, serving as an intern for then U.S. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. That experience strengthened his desire to one day enter public service in order to improve the quality of life for all Mississippians.

As Secretary of State, Michael is focused on protecting the integrity of our elections by continuing strong enforcement of Mississippi’s Voter ID law. Michael is also dedicated to bringing about a more efficient and effective state government by working to reduce regulations and red tape so small businesses can grow and flourish in a free market economy. As a native of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Michael understands the importance of properly managing Tidelands and other public lands. He is committed to keeping the decisions in the hands of local officials as much as allowed by law while monitoring these decisions to ensure Mississippians receive fair value.

During his campaign for Secretary of State in 2019, Michael announced a landmark proposal to fix Mississippi’s process for issuing and renewing driver’s licenses. To address this growing problem, Michael developed the innovative “SIP” plan, which stands for “Service, Information and Professionalism,” that would move the driver’s services division (commonly referred to as the DMV) from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety to be under the direction and management of the Secretary of State’s office. Michael is continuing his work to make the SIP plan a reality by supporting legislation transferring the DMV to the Secretary of State’s office so he can implement technology and customer service improvements to speed up the process for people obtaining or renewing a driver’s license, and to help resolve delays in the commercial driver’s license system.

During his time in the private sector, Michael opened his own firm where he focused on business law, construction law and probate law. He is a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the American Council of Young Political Leaders, the Mississippi Bar Association, the Ole Miss Alumni Association and the Ole Miss Hall of Fame. He and his family spend time volunteering with the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and the Dream Program. As a dedicated family man, Michael and his wife, Lauren, have three daughters—Gracie Pierce, Annie and Cora Elizabeth. The Watsons are members of First Presbyterian Church in Pascagoula and enjoy visiting church families all over Mississippi.