JACKSON, Miss.—Dark clouds gave way to scattered sunshine Tuesday morning as residents of Jackson, Miss., and surrounding municipalities headed to the polls to vote in the 2024 U.S. election. Though rain had replaced the sun by early afternoon, voters continued to stream into the churches, community centers and other facilities that doubled as polling locations on Election Day.
The atmosphere at many Jackson area polling stations was relaxed, even jovial, with some voters greeting one another outside the facilities and volunteers providing cheerful instructions inside. At one Madison County precinct, poll workers welcomed first-time voters with whoops and applause.
“Why not make it a party?” said Arlette Thompson, a polling manager at the Ridgeland Recreation Center precinct in Ridgeland, Mississippi. “They walk out of here feeling like it really was a big deal, and they will take that first-time experience with them for the rest of their life.”
Other Jackson area voters had less positive Election Day experiences. Some complained of long wait times and insufficient parking at precincts that had faced similar challenges in previous elections. Others highlighted a lack of signage and clear directions for residents with disabilities at certain polling places.
Despite these obstacles, many residents said they were determined to cast a ballot in an election that could change the course of history.
“I could hardly get out of bed this morning, (but) this is a major race,” said Jacqueline Harper, a Madison County resident who braved arthritis and sciatic nerve pain to vote at her local precinct. “I would have crawled down here if I had to.”
Deja Vu in Madison County
More than two hours after polls had opened across Mississippi, the line outside the Mark Apartments precinct in Ridgeland extended all the way to the sidewalk next to Lake Harbour Drive. Many residents waited an hour or longer to enter the polling location, and some reported seeing other prospective voters exit the line without casting a ballot.
The Mark Apartments precinct is no stranger to long lines and other logistical challenges. During the 2020 presidential election, chaotic scenes unfolded outside the polling center after Madison County officials shifted over 2,000 mostly Black and Latino voters into the precinct with little advance warning. The change, which the Mississippi Free Press first reported in October 2020, nearly tripled the number of voters using the polling site and created wait times of over two hours.
Four years later, local election officials say efforts to streamline the voting process at the Mark Apartments have been hampered by the precinct’s physical limitations.
“This location is small, so you can’t just add more (voting) machines if you don’t have the space,” Pat Truesdale, the election commissioner for Madison County’s 3rd District (which includes the Mark Apartments), told the Mississippi Free Press on Nov. 5. “That’s what makes this (polling location) a challenge.”
Residents assigned to the Mark Apartments precinct called for the polling site to be relocated, noting that its long lines and cramped quarters could deter people from voting.
“It’s a little ridiculous,” said Quinn Etuonu, a Madison County resident who waited over an hour to vote at the facility. “I think the precinct should be moved.”
Voters also questioned whether race played a role in the 2020 precinct reshuffling.
“For whatever reason, they’ve moved this side of Ridgeland to this tiny little space,” Sarah Clay, a Madison County resident who voted at the Ridgeland Recreation Center until 2020, told the Mississippi Free Press. “If you think about the population … that’s been moved to this small area, it kind of makes you wonder if it’s not a demographics issue.”
Fulfilling a Civic Duty
Election Day in metro Jackson saw multiple generations represented at the polls, with many younger voters voicing excitement about participating in the electoral process. In Ridgeland, 22-year-old Janeyli Palma cast a ballot for the first time, citing economic issues as her primary reason for voting.
“I live on my own, so everything is really expensive,” she said.
The economy was also top of mind for Daniel Catchings, a Jackson resident who voted at the Old Military Building on South State Street. Catchings, who is visually impaired, said poll workers at the precinct made the voting process “quick and painless.”
“They assisted with everything and actually made it the simplest time ever for me,” he said.
In addition to voting in the 2024 election, Jackson resident Kaitlyn Forester decided to volunteer as a poll worker for the first time. The Belhaven University graduate was assigned to the polling site located on her old campus, an experience she described as both fun and instructive.
“A lot of people talk about how there’s voter fraud and things like that,” she said. “(So) I thought, let me participate, and then I’ll be able to say firsthand, ‘This is how it goes; this is how secure it is; this is all the checks and balances that are in place.’”
In South Jackson, voters breezed in and out of the polling location at The Tabernacle Ministries on North Siwell Street. Jacqueline Bolden, a member of the church who spent the day assisting poll workers, said the precinct was able to accommodate a large number of voters who showed up well before the polls opened.
“We’ve been here since about 4 (am), and we have been rolling ever since,” she said.
Bolden, who is Black, explained that the civil rights movement and subsequent efforts to combat disenfranchisement inspired her to volunteer her time on Election Day.
“Somebody had to fight for me to do it, so it is my privilege to do it,” she said.
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