Absentee in-person voting has begun in Mississippi with national, state and county elections on the ballot. 

Several Mississippi residents qualify to vote absentee in-person, including voters enrolled in a school located outside the county as well as voters with permanent or temporary physical disabilities. People 65 years old and older also qualify. 

To see the full explanation, click here.

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Those who qualify to vote absentee can do so at the DeSoto County circuit clerk’s office at 2535 U.S. 51 S in Hernando, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until the election.

There is also an early-voting day scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 26, from 8 a.m to 12 p.m.

The final day to vote absentee is Saturday, Nov. 2, from 8 a.m to 12 p.m.

In addition to the election for U.S. President, several state and county races will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot. 

Below is a guide for each race. 

Note: A recent lawsuit filed by the Mississippi NAACP claims DeSoto County’s 2022 redistricting plan splinters Black voting power. The suit wants a federal judge to halt upcoming elections for countywide offices — including the election commission, the school board and any judge to the county Justice Court — until new districts can be drawn. 

U.S. Senate

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker overwhelmingly carried the Republican primary in March, defeating retired Marine Corps Col. Ghannon Burton and Mississippi state Rep. Dan Eubanks with more than 61% of the votes. 

Wicker’s political career began in 1987 when he was elected to the Mississippi State Senate, followed by a successful bid for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994. Wicker was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2007.

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Speaking as a representative of her husband during a candidate forum in February at the Hernando Golf and Racquet Club, Gayle Wicker reflected on the 1994 congressional election. 

“During that race, he told the people of DeSoto County, ‘If I’m elected, I’ll have an office in DeSoto County,’” she said. “And to this day, he still has an office in DeSoto County.” 

Wicker will face U.S. Army veteran Ty Pinkins in the general election. Pinkins ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. 

Pinkins, who earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 2020, ran unsuccessfully to become Mississippi’s secretary of state in 2023. 

In recent months, Pinkins has called on Wicker for a debate, but that request has gone unanswered. 

“I respectfully request that you accept this challenge and join me in this important civic exercise,” Pinkins wrote in a letter to Wicker in July. “The people of Mississippi deserve nothing less than a full and open discussion of the issues that affect their lives.”

1st Congressional District

Trent Kelly has represented Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District since 2015, and he ran unopposed in the Republican primary earlier this year. 

Despite running without an opponent in March, Kelly received an endorsement former U.S. President Donald Trump in the weeks leading up to that election.

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“An original member of my Mississippi leadership team, Congressman Trent Kelly has my complete and total endorsement!” the former President wrote on Truth Social. 

In the general election, Kelly will face Dianne Black, who won the Democratic primary with 85% of the vote. 

This race will serve as a rematch between Kelly and Black. Both candidates ran for the same seat in 2022 when Kelly earned 73% of the votes. 

Black also ran unsuccessfully for the Mississippi State Senate in 2019 when she lost to Kevin Blackwell in a bid to represent District 19. 

At the outset of early voting in the state, Black began an effort to get supporters to the polls early. 

“We are encouraging qualified voters to cast an absentee ballot during this six-week period because we don’t want to experience past issues: excessively long lines on election day, polling precincts running out of ballots or inclement weather,” Black said earlier this month. “Voting absentee ensures positive support for your candidates.”

Mississippi Supreme Court District 3-Position 1

Robert P. Chamberlin is running unopposed for reelection to the Mississippi Supreme Court in the November election. 

Chamberlin first ran in the nonpartisan race in 2016, defeating challenger John Brady in a runoff. 

Previously, Chamberlin was elected to the bench for Mississippi’s 17th Judicial District. He was also elected to the Mississippi State Senate in 1999, serving one term.

Mississippi Supreme Court District 3-Position 2

Jimmy Maxwell is also running unopposed for the Mississippi Supreme Court in the November election. 

Maxwell was first appointed the state’s highest court in 2015 by Gov. Phil Bryant, and then he ran for a full eight-year term in 2016.

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The general election will mark the second time Maxwell has run unopposed for the seat. 

Previously, he served on the Mississippi Court of Appeals. 

DeSoto County Election Commission District 1 and District 3

Laura Edler, a Republican, is running unopposed for reelection to the county’s election commission. 

Chad Engelke, a Republican, is also running unopposed for reelection to the county’s election commission. 

DeSoto County Election Commission District 5

Incumbent David Ross, a Republican, is running against Peggy Dobbins, a Democrat, for a seat on the county’s election commission. 

Dobbins is the only Democratic challenger to the commission’s all-Republican board. 

DeSoto County School Board District 3

Jerald Wheeler, a former school-resource officer, is running unopposed in the nonpartisan election. 

Wheeler was first appointed to the board in 2022 when Ann Jolley stepped down weeks before the general election that year. 

Altogether, Wheeler spent 24 years in law enforcement before his retirement and subsequent time on the board. 

DeSoto County School Board District 4

Incumbent Shelia Riley is running against Todd Mayo to represent the school board’s 4th district. 

Riley has represented her district since 2018. She has been a part of DeSoto County Schools for 24 years, including time as a Title 1 instructional assistant in reading and math at Hernando Middle.

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Mayo also served DeSoto County Schools for several years, including a 17-year stint as a high school administrator at DeSoto Central High and Southaven High. 

“I was raised on conservative values and live by such standards,” Mayo wrote in a recent Facebook post. “Our children deserve to be educated in a truly safe, clean and positive environment. We must strive to make our schools a place students want to be. As our county grows, we must have the courage to develop and enforce policies that protect our children and county’s future.”