Watson: Voter registration deadline Oct. 5; absentee voting changes for Nov. 3 general

JACKSON, Miss. — With the November 3 general election approaching, Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson is urging voters to make sure they are registered and ready — and reminding DeSoto County voters of a key deadline and a change to in-person absentee voting this year.

The voter registration deadline for the general election is October 5. Mississippians can register in person at the Circuit Clerk’s office or mail a registration application postmarked by October 5.

In-person and mail-in absentee ballots are now available at Circuit Clerk’s offices. Under legislation passed during the 2026 session, in-person absentee voting will look a little different this year: eligible voters will still use a paper absentee ballot, but instead of sealing it in an envelope for the ballot box, they will feed it directly into the voting machines as on Election Day. Those ballots will not be tabulated until election night. Mail-in absentee voting is unchanged.

“Not all ‘election information’ you may see out there is accurate,” Watson said, encouraging voters to rely on official correspondence from his office or county election officials.

Voters can get information tailored to their address through the My Election Day portal at YallVote.ms.

By Jon Myers