Tippah County and Benton County voters who can’t make it to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 3, have less than two weeks left for in-person absentee voting. Under the Mississippi Secretary of State’s 2026 calendar, in-person absentee voting at each county circuit clerk’s office ends at noon on Saturday, Oct. 31. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day.
The Nov. 3 general election ballot in Tippah and Benton counties includes the U.S. Senate race and the 1st Congressional District seat, along with judicial and local races. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Absentee Voting Hours and Deadlines
In-person absentee voting has been open since Sept. 19. Here are the hours and deadlines that remain:
Weekdays: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the circuit clerk’s office
Saturday, Oct. 24: 8 a.m. to noon
Saturday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m. to noon. This is the last chance to vote absentee in person.
Mail ballots: must be postmarked on or before Nov. 3 and received by the circuit clerk by Nov. 10 (within five business days of the election)
In Tippah County, absentee voting takes place at the circuit clerk’s office at the courthouse in Ripley. You can reach the office at 662-837-7370. Benton County voters vote absentee at the circuit clerk’s office in Ashland.
Who Can Vote Absentee in Mississippi
Mississippi doesn’t offer no-excuse early voting. To vote absentee, a voter has to fit one of the categories set by state law. The Secretary of State’s office lists these reasons for in-person absentee voting:
Being 65 or older
Being away from your home county on Election Day for any reason
Having to work, or being on call, during polling hours
A temporary or permanent disability that makes voting in person a substantial hardship
Being the parent, spouse, or dependent of a disabled person hospitalized more than 50 miles away or outside the county, if you’ll be with that person on Election Day
College students, teachers, and school administrators whose work or studies keep them away from home, plus their spouses and dependents
The list for voting by mail is shorter. It covers voters 65 and older, voters with a temporary or permanent disability, voters temporarily living outside their county, the parent, spouse, or dependent of a hospitalized disabled person, and certain jailed voters who have not been convicted of a disenfranchising crime.
What to Bring and How Mail Ballots Work
Voters who go to the circuit clerk’s office in person need an acceptable photo ID, the same as on Election Day. The clerk confirms the voter’s registration and address, and the voter fills out an application naming their reason for voting absentee. The voter then marks the ballot in private and scans it on the office’s voting machine. Those ballots are counted after the polls close on election night.
Mail voting takes more steps:
Ask the circuit clerk for an Official Application for Absentee Elector’s Ballot.
Have the application signed before a notary or another official who can administer oaths. Voters with a disability may use any witness who is 18 or older.
After the ballot arrives, mark it in front of the notary or witness, seal it, and complete the affidavit on the back of the envelope. It needs the same notary or witness signature.
Mail it back early enough for a postmark on or before Nov. 3.
The Nov. 10 receipt grace period stands for this election because the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Mississippi’s five-business-day window for postmarked ballots in Watson v. RNC in June 2026.
Questions About Your Ballot
Voters can track an absentee or affidavit ballot with the state’s My Election Day tool on the Secretary of State’s website. Questions about absentee eligibility can go to the county circuit clerk or to the Secretary of State’s Elections Hotline at 1-800-829-6786.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
