Mississippi Voting Requirements & Information
General Information
Registration
You can register to vote or update your registration information:
- by mail
- in person at your County Circuit Clerk’s Office or Municipal Clerk's Office
- at Department of Public Safety when getting driver's license or ID
- at some public assistance offices
You may also update your registration information online at Y’allVote@sos.ms.gov
You must have resided in your precinct at least 30 days prior to the election in which you intend to vote.
Election Day Voting
Polling places are open from 7am to 7pm on Election Day.
Find my polling place
Absentee Voting
Registered voters can request an absentee ballot if they meet ONE of the following criteria:
- You will be outside the county on Election Day.
- You are an enlisted or commissioned member of any component of the United States Armed Forces, or spouse or dependent of such member.
- You are a Member of the Merchant Marine or the American Red Cross, or spouse or dependent of such member.
- You are a disabled war veteran who is a patient in any hospital, or the spouse or dependent of such veteran.
- You are a civilian attached to and serving outside of the United States with any branch of the Armed Forces or with the Merchant Marine or American Red Cross, or spouse or dependent of such civilian.
- You are a citizen of Mississippi temporarily residing outside the territorial limits of the United States and the District of Columbia.
- You are a student, teacher or administrator at a college, university, junior or community college, high, junior high, elementary or grade school, whose studies or employment at such institution necessitates your absence from the county of your voting residence or spouse or dependent of such student, teacher or administrator.
- You have a temporary or permanent physical disability.
- You are sixty-five (65) years of age or older.
- You are the parent, spouse or dependent of a person with a temporary or permanent physical disability who is hospitalized outside his or her county of residence or more than fifty (50) miles away from his or her residence, and you will be with such person on Election Day.
- You are a member of the congressional delegation, or spouse or dependent of a member of the congressional delegation.
- You are required to be at work on Election Day during the times which the polls will be open.
Please visit the US Vote Disability Voting Guide to see accommodations for the registration and voting process.
Eligibility Requirements
You are eligible to vote in Mississippi if you:
- Are a U.S citizen
- Are a resident of Mississippi
- Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
- Live in the precinct where you vote for at least 30 days prior to the election
You are NOT eligible to vote in Mississippi if:
- A judge has specifically ruled that you are not able to vote.
- You are not eligible to vote if you have been convicted in a Mississippi state court of certain crimes. A complete list of those crimes is provided on the Mississippi Mail-In Voter Registration Application.
If you were convicted of any crime that's not one of the 23 barred crimes, whether it was a felony or misdemeanor, you never lost your right to vote and you may register to vote and cast a ballot.
Restorative Requirements
- If your sentence is completed, you should apply to the Governor for a pardon if necessary. After you have been pardoned (or both houses of the state legislature have passed a bill restoring your voting rights), then you may register to vote and cast a ballot, even while you are on parole or probation.
If you are a student, you are eligible to vote in Mississippi if:
- You reside in Mississippi but are attending college in another state
- You reside in another state but attend college in Mississippi
- You provide a valid photo student ID from a college/university in Mississippi at the polls
Identification Requirements
Voter Registration
To register to vote in Mississippi you should provide one of the following:
- Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number
- Your Mississippi Driver's License Number
If you live at a non-traditional address, you must include a drawing or map of your location
If you do not have any of these IDs, you can provide a copy of one of the following with your registration application:
- Current and Valid Photo ID
- Government Issued Document that shows your current name and address
- Utility Bill
- Government Check
- Bank Statement
- Paycheck that Shows your Current Name and Address
You can alternatively provide one of these documents when you vote to complete your registration.
Voting In-Person
In Mississippi, you need to show a valid photo ID to vote. You can use any ID from this list:
- Valid ID with photo issued by a Government Agency
- Valid Government Employee ID
- Valid Mississippi Driver's License
- Valid Mississippi Issued ID
- Valid US Passport
- License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm
- Valid Student ID from State School
- Valid Military ID
- Valid Tribal ID
- Valid Mississippi Voter ID Card
IDs must be current or without an expiration date, or one which has expired, but is not yet more than 10 years beyond the issuance date. Call 1-844-MSVOTER (1-844-678-6837) to get a free Mississippi Voter Id card if you don't have the required id.
Witness / Notarization Requirements
An absentee ballot must include ONLY ONE the following in order to be counted:
- The Signature of a Witness Who is an Official Authorized to Administer an Oath, Such as a Notary Public
Disabled voters may instead include a signature from a witness who is at least 18 years old.
Voter Materials Transmission Options
Domestic Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
State Lookup Tools – Am I Registered?
State Elections Website
Where is my Polling Place?
State Voter Registration FAQ
Am I Registered?
Overseas / Military Voter Information
Can I View my Sample Ballot?
Upcoming Election Dates & Deadlines
Eligibility Requirements
Overseas Voters
U.S. citizens living abroad have the right to vote as absentee voters, provided they are eligible to vote in their state. If you are living outside of the U.S. permanently, indefinitely, or temporarily, your voting rights stay with you, even if you never voted when you lived in the U.S. To vote from overseas:
- Complete and send an overseas voter registration/ballot request form to your election office in the U.S. This is one specific form that will register you as an overseas voter and request your absentee ballot – simultaneously.
Military Voters
Service members and their eligible family members living outside their voting jurisdiction (within or outside the U.S.) are able to vote as absentee voters. This includes: Any enlisted or commissioned members, male or female, of the United States Army, or any of its respective components or various divisions thereof; any enlisted or commissioned members, male or female, of the United States Navy, or any of its respective components or various divisions thereof; any enlisted or commissioned members, male or female, of the United States Air Force, or any of its respective components or various divisions thereof; any enlisted or commissioned members, male or female, of the United States Marines, or any of its respective components or various divisions thereof; or any persons in any division of the armed services of the United States, who are citizens of Mississippi; Any member of the Merchant Marine and the American Red Cross who is a citizen of Mississippi; Any disabled war veteran who is a patient in any hospital and who is a citizen of Mississippi; Any civilian attached to and serving outside of the United States with any branch of the Armed Forces or with the Merchant Marine or American Red Cross, and who is a citizen of Mississippi; Any trained or certified emergency response provider who is deployed during the time period authorized by law for absentee voting, on election day, or during any state of emergency declared by the President of the United States or any Governor of any state within the United States; Any citizen of Mississippi enrolled as a student at the United States Naval Academy, the United States Coast Guard Academy, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, the United States Air Force Academy or the United States Military Academy.
- If you are a service member, or an eligible family member, there is a single form to file for both voter registration and ballot request. It is often called the “Federal Post Card Application” or the FPCA form. This form must be re-filed with your election office each time you change location.
To vote as a service member or eligible family member:
- Complete and send a voter registration/ballot request form “FPCA” to your election office in the U.S. It is the same form in all states.
Identification Requirements
Voting Overseas
U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:
- U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
- Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
- Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
Voting Military
Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form ("FPCA"). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:
- U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
- Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
- Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
Witness / Notarization Requirements
An absentee ballot must include ONLY ONE the following in order to be counted:
- The Signature of a Witness Who is an Official Authorized to Administer an Oath, Such as a Notary Public
Disabled voters may instead include a signature from a witness who is at least 18 years old.
Voter Materials Transmission Options
Overseas Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
Military Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |