Absentee ballots now available for Lee County supervisor special election
Sep. 22—TUPELO — Registered voters in the western portion of Lee County can now vote by absentee in the special election for the District 3 supervisor race.
Residents can either call the Lee County Circuit Clerk's Office to request an absentee ballot by mail or physically go to Circuit Clerk's office inside of the Lee County Justice Center to cast an absentee ballot during normal operating hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
The last day for people to vote by absentee in-person is Saturday, Oct. 30 at the Circuit Clerk's Office, which will be open from 8 a.m. to noon.
Not everyone can legally cast an absentee ballot.
Mississippi has some of the most restrictive absentee voting laws in the nation and has no early voting system. State law requires voters to cast a regular ballot in-person on election day, unless they qualify for one of around 10 excuses to vote by absentee.
Some registered voters are eligible to vote by an absentee ballot if they are over 65 years old, permanently or temporarily disabled, a college student or will be out of town on the date of the election.
The District 3 seat became vacant when Todd Jordan resigned to become mayor of Tupelo. The winner of the race will serve out the remainder of Jordan's unfinished term and will be up for reelection to a full four-year term in 2023.
There are seven candidates who have qualified for the race:
— Mike Bryan
— Buddy Dickerson
— Gary Enis
— Mark Maharrey
— Larry McCord
— Tony Roper
— Wesley Webb
Not all county voters will participate in this election. This is a special election that is taking place outside of the regularly scheduled county elections. Only voters who live in District 3 will be able to participate.
District 3 includes the western portion of the county, the Belden community and the Chesterville Road area.
Because this is a special election, all candidates must run without a party affiliation. There are no party primaries, so voters will not have to tell Circuit Clerk's employees if they wish to receive a Republican ballot of Democratic ballot.
Voters must also present a valid form of photo ID to vote by absentee.
If voters have any specific questions about whether they are qualified to vote by absentee or which district they are located in, they are encouraged to contact the Circuit Clerk's office at (662)-841-6513.