Mississippi Senate race draws national attention as absentee voting climbs

TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) – Kamala Harris and President Donald Trump brought national attention to Mississippi’s Senate race.

However, nearly 30,000 Mississippians had already returned absentee ballots before either rally.

The secretary of state’s office reported almost 30,000 returned ballots on Oct. 19.

At roughly the same point before the 2022 midterms, that number was just over 10,000.

By Monday, this year’s total had climbed to more than 56,000.

Lowndes County returns

In Lowndes County, almost 1,300 absentee ballots were returned by Monday. That’s nearly three times the 434 returned eight days before the 2022 election.

Factors in turnout

Dr. Brian Anderson is a professor of political science at the Mississippi University for Women.

He said sensitive issues in Washington that also affect voters at the state level could be a contributing factor in why absentee voting is unusually high this midterm election.

“This particular election has been charged by lots of issues that have upset people and really a high level of focus on what’s going on in D.C.,” Anderson said. “This is part of the people trying to reclaim Congress as a more active and connected institution.”

In-person absentee voting ends Saturday.

Mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, which is Nov. 3.