The Mississippi presidential primary will be held Tuesday, March 13. The New York Times states there are 40 delegates to the Republican National Convention at stake in the Mississippi primary this year. Here's a guide for voters in Mississippi who want to participate in the GOP nomination process.
Ballot
There are eight candidates on the official Mississippi ballot. Choices are listed in alphabetical order beginning with Rep. Michele Bachmann and ending with Rick Santorum. There is also a slot for a write-in candidate. All four of the mainstream choices still in the race are on the ballot in addition to four people who have dropped out of the Republican race.
Polling Times and Places
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on election day for those who wish to cast ballots in the ordinary manner. Absentee ballots may be cast anytime at your local circuit clerk's office up to noon on Saturday, March 10. Mailed absentee ballots must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, March 12, in order to be counted.
Polling places may be found on your voter ID card. You may also call your local election authority to find out your polling location.
What to Bring
The easiest way to identify yourself at the polls is to bring your voter identification card that you received in the mail. The registration deadline was 30 days before the March 13 primary. If you don't have your voter ID card and are registered, there are valid forms of ID you can bring with you.
Among those accepted forms of ID are a valid photo identification such as driver's license or state-issued ID card. A utility bill with your current address is also a valid form of ID that can match your name to a registered address. A current bank statement and paycheck may also be used, as long as it has your name and address listed together.
How to Vote
Mississippi has two ways to vote depending upon where you live. Optical scan ballots are one common way to vote in which voters fill out an oval using a number two pencil or a dark pen. Red pens are not allowed.
The other way to vote is with touch screen computers. The "Touch and Vote" system allows you to vote by touching a square next to a candidate choice on a computer screen. After all of the ballots have been filled in, you can print your ballot in the summary screen that shows you what choices you made.
You can go back and make changes at any time until your ballot is cast. Your ballot will be printed so you can review your choices. After it is printed, you can "reject" or "cast" your ballot. The touch screens will need to be activated by the election official at the polling place before you vote.
William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.
