JACKSON, Miss.–You may be able to vote early in Mississippi, no excuses. A bill passed by the state Senate this week would give you the opportunity to go to your county circuit clerk’s office and cast an in-person ballot up to 15 days before an election.
Mississippi is one of only 15 states that do not have early voting. Under current law you can vote by absentee up to 45 days prior to an election, with a proper reason.
“In-person absentee is going away. It’s going to be replaced with in-person early voting,” said state Sen. Jeremy England, who presented the bill.
He described the process as being much like voting on election day, except that it would have to be at the circuit clerk’s office. You’d fill in a scantron ballot, but it would not be counted until election night, with all of the other regular returns.
“Forty-five days before election day you would still be allowed to mail in?” asked Sen. Derrick Simmons, of Greenville, who applauded the bill. England answered in the affirmative.
“And 15 days before the election, no excuse, you can go in and vote?” asked Simmons. Again, his question was answered in the affirmative.
The bill must still pass the House and be signed by the governor to become law. Gov. Tate Reeves, who has of late been commenting on legislation on his Facebook page, made no comment as to his opinion of the bill. It would not go into effect until January of 2026.
