October 5 is the last day for Mississippians to register to vote in order to cast a ballot in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Registered voters also have until Monday to confirm their registration status.
Mississippians should also ensure their county election officials have not purged them from the county’s voting rolls due to inactivity. Mississippi law requires that county election commissioners issue a notice asking a voter to confirm their address if that voter failed to vote at least once in any election or update their registration during a period that begins in the year of a presidential preference primary and ends with the next presidential election. However, voters on the inactive list must vote by affidavit.
If a voter does not vote in two consecutive federal elections after being noticed, county commissioners will remove them from the Statewide Elections Management System. A voter may avoid a purge by responding to their notice, updating their registration information or voting in any election at the location they are registered. Voters who are active or reserve military or who have served on a jury are protected from being purged.
Carol Mann, a Madison County resident and previous District 1 election commissioner candidate, says that voters should know their registration status before election day to avoid issues.
“If they’re not registered or they forget their ID, they’re going to have to ask for a provisional ballot, but those are generally the last ones counted in an election,” Mann told the Mississippi Free Press on Sept. 17.
Mississippi is one of 22 states that remove individuals from the voter rolls due to inactivity. Signed into law three years ago, Mississippians may not be aware of the state’s policies.
“Many of the voters are going to have a shock to see that they were inaccurately removed, so the solution is to check your voter registration status now and encourage everyone else to do the same thing,” Mann said.
Jermarius Everett, the Central Mississippi field organizer of the MS Votes Action Fund, explains that notices regarding voter registration status can be missed if an individual has changed addresses.
“It disproportionately affects voters that are in vulnerable situations who may have not necessarily updated their mailing addresses to even receive those notices from their circuit clerk,” he said.
The secretary of state’s office provides a tool that allows voters to quickly check their registration status online, but that system can confuse voters if they are not entering the same credentials in the tool that they registered with.
“We are urging voters to make sure they are checking their voter registration status consistently, especially leading up to election day,” Everett said.
Mississippians can quickly check their voter registration status here or by visiting the circuit clerk in the county they are registered in. If they are not registered to vote, they can visit their circuit clerk’s office, the Department of Public Safety, or send in a mail-in form.
Follow the Mississippi Free Press’ coverage of the 2026 elections and read past stories here.
Mississippi Free Press stories are always free because we believe everyone should have access to quality journalism. Donations from readers like you make that possible. Please click here to give to help sustain and grow vital, people-over-power journalism for Mississippians.
Readers can sign up for our free newsletters here.
TAGS: Mississippi, voting, elections, elections 2026, voter registration
