Read the F*ing directions
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Are registered to vote by October 5th.

Have submitted an application for an absentee ballot at least a few weeks before Election Day.

Have a specific reason for needing to vote by mail — check out Mississippi’s full list of acceptable reasons here and see if any apply to you (click on “Who is entitled to vote absentee by mail?”).

Also note that you should confirm with your county's Circuit Clerk that you are eligible to vote absentee because the state calls itself “bottom up,” meaning it lets local authorities make decisions on these kinds of details.

Click here for information about accessible voting and your rights at the polls if you have a disability.

Check out this form for information on your eligibility if you have a criminal conviction (for more details, see Mississippi’s list of disenfranchising crimes).

Active duty military, military family member, or living overseas? You have additional voting options! Visit FVAP.GOV for details specific to your situation.

Register to vote by October 5th for the general election. If you miss this deadline, register by November 2nd so you can participate in any runoff elections.

Technically, there isn’t a deadline for requesting an absentee ballot...but that makes no sense and is impractical and just leaves a lot of room for confusion. So we recommend you request an absentee ballot from your local county office by early October or as soon as you can. You’ll need to call your county Circuit Clerk to confirm you’re eligible, and if you are, ask them to send you the application. Mail that application back ASAP when you get it! If Election Day is coming up fast, they might send you the ballot and application at the same time.

Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by November 10th — so you should put it in the mail by October 27th to be sure it arrives in time to be counted.

Heads up that Mississippi has runoff elections on December 1st for any races where no candidate gets over 50% of the vote! Keep an eye on the local news after Election Day to see if you have any runoff elections to vote in. Deadlines are:

• Register by November 2
• Request your ballot at least a few weeks in advance (recommended)
• Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, December 1
• Ballots must be received by December 8

This is important: USPS recently changed its policies and won’t always postmark mail the same day it’s picked up from a mailbox — or even the day after. To guarantee a same-day postmark, you’ll need to go to a post office and ask for a manual postmark. All the more reason to mail things early!

Your application will need to be notarized, unless you are physically disabled — in that case, any adult can act as a witness for your application.

After you complete your ballot, place it in the envelope provided and seal it.

Sign the back of the envelope where indicated in front of a witness, and then have the witness sign where indicated. Just like the application, your witness must be someone allowed to administer an oath, like a Notary Public, unless you are physically disabled.

Put a stamp on it!

Pop it in the mail by October 27th or as soon as you can to make sure it will arrive in time.

DO NOT try to drop off your ballot at your clerk’s office or your polling place — they won’t accept it!