• Official State Website
• Secretary of State Website
• Absentee Voting Rules Webpage

Summary

The general elections will take place on November 4, 2008.

To be eligable to vote, one must be:

• An inhabitant of Mississippi, except persons judicially declared mentally incompetent; At least 18 years old (or will be by the date of the next general election);
• A resident of the state, county, and supervisor’s district for 30 days;
• Has never been convicted of any crime listed in Section 241 of the Mississippi Constitution (murder, rape, bribery, theft, arson, obtaining money or goods under false pretense, perjury, forgery, embezzlement, or bigamy).
• Once you are registered, you generally remain registered indefinitely, unless you move or no longer meet one of the qualifications to vote.

Registration to vote can take place via mail or at the clerk's office in person. To obtain an application form, call your county Circuit Clerk, or pick one up at the courthouse, public library or other participating government office. Mail-in voter registration forms are also available from the Secretary of State's Office.

If you register by mail: Your application must be postmarked at least 30 days prior to the election in which you want to vote. If you register in the clerk’s office: You must register at least 30 days prior to the election in which you want to vote. In most cases, Circuit Clerks and Municipal Clerks are required to register voters at any time during usual business hours of 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
After registering, you will be given your precinct name and the location of that precinct’s polling place. The polls are open 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. each election day.

If you are unable to vote on the election day, you can apply for absentee voting by calling you Circuit or Municipal Clerk at least two weeks before the election to find out the deadlines, procedures and eligibility.

Deadlines

• Deadline to register to vote in November 2008 election: October 6, 2008
• Deadline to register for absentee ballot in November 2008 election: Contact your Circuit or Municipal Clerk at least two weeks before the election to find out the deadlines and procedures

Voting Equipment
Missisipi uses a voluntary voting systems standards program that is developed by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the National Association of State Elections Directors (NASED) together with other technical experts. Mississippi law does not require any certification of voting systems for use in Mississippi. The Secretary of State's Office does not test, certify, or recommend any voting system. The decision to select a particular type of system rests solely with individual county government. Click systemshere usedfor aremore information.