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Mississippi opens absentee voting with ballots scanned at the clerk's office

Jackson, MississippiPublished 21 Sep 2026

The Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, where the Legislature passed the in-person absentee scanning law.
The Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, where the Legislature passed the in-person absentee scanning law.

Kaotate / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

A new law drops the old envelope process so in-person absentee ballots go into the same scanners used on Election Day.

Absentee voting for Mississippi's Nov. 3, 2026, midterms opened Sept. 21. In-person absentee voters now feed completed paper ballots into optical scanners at circuit clerk offices instead of sealing them in envelopes that sat until polls closed. Officials said the change should speed results and match the Election Day experience. Eligible voters may vote in person through Oct. 31; registration for the midterms ends Oct. 5. Mississippi still requires an excuse to vote absentee.

Shared facts

Absentee voting for Mississippi's Nov. 3, 2026, midterms opened Monday, Sept. 21.

Eligible voters can cast an absentee ballot in person at their county circuit clerk's office.

Under the old process, in-person absentee ballots were sealed in envelopes and were not counted until after the polls closed.

Mississippi changed the in-person absentee voting process this year.

Mississippi has dropped the envelope for in-person absentee ballots.

In-person absentee voters now feed a paper ballot into a voting machine or scanner at the circuit clerk's office.

Officials said the new in-person absentee process matches voting at a precinct on Election Day.

After scanning, ballots go into a ballot box that is locked up each day.

In-person absentee voting runs through Oct. 31.

The deadline to register to vote for the November elections is Oct. 5.

Mississippi's midterm Election Day is Nov. 3.

Hankins said voters will now know their ballots have been counted because they go into the scanner.

Shared opinions

Martin Hankins called the scanner process a cleaner one for his office.

Hankins said the scanner process will be better for citizens because they can see their ballot go into the machine.

WLOX

Absentee voting opens Monday for Mississippi midterms

WLOX Staff

Published 21 Sep 2026 accessed 21 Sep 2026

Facts

The races include one U.S. Senate seat.

Voters can also request absentee ballots by mail starting Monday.

Voters must be registered in the county where they are voting.

Supporters said the change is intended to reduce the risk of ballots being disqualified.

People who do not qualify for absentee voting will vote on Election Day, Nov. 3.

Opinion

No opinion marked.

WDAM

Changes to absentee in-person voting as registration deadline looms

Raven Little

Published 15 Sep 2026 accessed 21 Sep 2026

Facts

Mailed voter registration must be postmarked by Oct. 5.

Hankins said people who turned 18 or moved to Lamar County can register at his office or print a form online and mail it in.

Hankins said the Lamar County clerk office will be open Monday through Friday, 8 to 5, for in-person voting.

Hankins said the new process goes for all 82 counties.

Circuit clerks in Mississippi have been wanting to make the envelope change.

WDAM said voters unsure of their polling place or registration should contact their local circuit clerk.

Opinion

WDAM said the change will speed up the vote-counting process.

WTOK

Absentee voting begins Monday in Lauderdale County for November election

Triston P. Coats

Published 17 Sep 2026 accessed 21 Sep 2026

Facts

Under Mississippi law, voters must meet specific state criteria to cast an absentee ballot.

Lauderdale County officials are preparing for eligible voters who cannot get to the polls on Nov. 3 because of work, medical procedures, or other scheduling conflicts.

Election Day was less than two months away when WTOK published.

Lauderdale County will offer Saturday absentee hours from 8 a.m. to noon on Oct. 24 and Oct. 31.

Voter registration is available at the Lauderdale County Circuit Clerk's Office during regular business hours.

Voters will decide several federal, county, and local judicial seats on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Opinion

No opinion marked.

SuperTalk Mississippi

Absentee voting begins in Mississippi with new process

Caleb Salers

Published 21 Sep 2026 accessed 21 Sep 2026

Facts

The old process often led to lengthy waits for results, especially in rural areas, and delayed races being called.

England said those scanned absentee ballots will be counted on Election Day.

Opinion

SuperTalk said the change was made so operations run more smoothly and efficiently.

England said dropping the envelope will make the system work a lot better and a lot quicker.