Watson releases absentee ballot numbers
State election officials this week released figures about the number of absentee ballots requested, received and sent out for the Nov. 3 general election.
Secretary of State Michael Watson’s office said it will release a report on absentee ballots each week before the election.
As of Sunday, Oct. 4, the State Election Management System reported that 66,495 absentee ballots had been requested by state voters, 61,367 absentee ballots sent, and 34,561 ballots were received.
The total indicates the number of state voters who have requested an absentee ballot through their Circuit Clerk’s office. The sent total reflects the number of absentee ballots sent to voters from the Circuit Clerk offices. The received total reflects the number of completed absentee ballots returned to Circuit Clerk offices.
In DeSoto County, 3,623 absentee ballots had been requested to the Circuit Clerk’s office, 2,805 had been sent, and 1,793 absentee ballots had been received.
Of those requested, 1,176 were aged 65 and over, 1,109 declared a temporary disability, and 691 were going to be out of the county on Election Day.
The ballots sent in DeSoto County included 1,023 over age 65, 641 were out of the county, and 631 declared a temporary disability.
Absentee ballots received from DeSoto County voters included 832 of age 65 or older, 601 out of the county on Election Day, and 144 that declared work hours as a reason for requesting an absentee ballot.
County-by-county figures are available when you CLICK HERE.
Mississippi does not allow early voting, as done in some other states, but in most cases voters need to come into the Circuit Clerk’s office in the Hernando Courthouse to request an absentee ballot. More information on voting in DeSoto County is found when you CLICK HERE.
The in-person absentee voting deadline is Saturday, Oct. 31 at 5:00 p.m. All mail-in absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, and received within five business days of the election.
The DeSoto County Circuit Clerk’s office will be open on Saturday, Oct. 24 between 8 a.m.-12 noon and again on the final day, Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. for absentee ballots.
