Last day to register for ‘in person’ voting is Monday, Oct. 9

The 2023 General Election is just a month away, and there are some important deadlines approaching for voters and candidates.

The deadline to register to vote “in person” in the General Election is Monday, Oct. 9. The Circuit Clerk’s office is open during normal business hours for registration, and will be open this Saturday, Oct. 7, from 8 a.m. to noon for voter registration.

The deadline for “mailed” voter registration applications is Tuesday, Oct. 10, and must be postmarked by that date.

The Circuit Clerk’s office will be open two Saturdays – Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 – for absentee voting. Hours both days are 8 a.m. to noon. Saturday, Nov. 4, is also the last day to vote absentee in the General Election.

A sample ballot for Lafayette County is published on page 10 of this week’s Eagle. All eligible voters can vote for candidates in eight statewide races – Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Auditor, State Treasurer, Commissioner of Agriculture & Commerce, and Commissioner of Insurance.

All eight of those offices are held by Republicans, and all eight incumbents are seeking re-election.

Two other races will be on all Lafayette ballots – Public Service Commissioner / Northern District and Transportation Commissioner / Northern District – but both of those races were decided during the Republican Primary and there are no Democratic candidates on the ballot for those offices.

The District Attorney for District 3 office will also be on the ballot, but there is no Democratic challenger for the Republican incumbent.

A combination of three State Senate and seven State Representative offices will be on Lafayette voters’ ballots, depending on their home address and which legislative district they reside.

Senate Districts 8 and 9 have no Democratic contestants and the Republican candidates won those seats in the August primary.  District 10 has candidates from both parties on the ballot. 

Representative District 5 has only a Democratic candidate on the ballot.

Districts 8,10, and 13 have Republican candidates only and those races were decided in the primary. District 12 features the Republican incumbent and a Democratic challenger, and District 23 has a full lineup of candidates with Republican, Democratic, and Independent represented.

All Lafayette ballots will have the races for six county offices – Sheriff, Circuit Clerk, Chancery Clerk, Tax Assessor/Collector, Coroner, and County Attorney. Each of those races features at least two candidates except for the Circuit Clerk and County Attorney, who have no challengers.

Voters will also have a chance to choose a Supervisor for the next four years, again depending on their district of residency. Only District 1 has been decided, the Republican candidate who won the primary is not challenged by a Democratic or Independent candidate.

District 2 and 3 have Democratic and Republican choices, and District 4 has the same and an Independent candidate.

Two Election Commissioner seats are on the ballot (Districts 2 and 4) but both have Independent candidates that are unchallenged.

All three Justice Court Judge seats will be part of the voting. The Northern District seat has two candidates and the Southern seat has three candidates. The Central District has just one name on the ballot.

Finally, voters will see candidate names on the ballot for the three Constable posts in the county, but all three are unchallenged and the names listed are the Constables-elect and will be sworn into office, along with the other winners from General Election, in January.

For candidates, Periodic Campaign Finance Reports are due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10, in the appropriate office for 2023 candidates and political committees supporting or opposing 2023 candidates.

Mississippi law (MS Code Ann. § 23-15-807(b)(ii) and 23-15-807(e)) requires all candidates for elective office (excluding candidates for federal office) to file campaign finance disclosure reports. 

Candidates can provide the required reports in person, by mail, through email, or by fax.

Sample ballots are below. Click on one to open in another window for a larger, readable format.