Absentee voting under way through. Nov. 5

The countdown to Franklin County’s general election on Tuesday, Nov. 8 is under way with voters seeking to cast absentee ballots facing critical deadlines.

“Absentee voting started back on Monday, Sept. 26 and is continuing through Saturday, Nov. 5,” Circuit Clerk Warren Walker, who helps oversee the local election process, said.

“Those eligible to cast an absentee ballot can do so between 8 a.m., and 5 p.m., in the Circuit Clerk’s office on the first floor of the Franklin County Courthouse in Meadville.”

Walker said his office will also be open from 8 a.m., to noon on both Saturday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 5 to accommodate absentee balloting.

“All voters are required to present a photo identification at the time of voting and must meet the criteria for absentee balloting — including being out of town or working in a job that will not allow time to vote on election day or if a person is 65 years old or older,” Walker added.

The county’s polling stations will be open between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Also of critical importance where the upcoming election is concerned is the county’s redistricting efforts following the 2020 federal Census count of the nation’s population.

Walker’s office — in conjunction with Franklin County’s election commissioners — has sent notices via U.S. Mail to voters in the area that will cast their ballots at different precincts following the federally mandated redistricting effort that took place earlier this year.

Every 10 years, Walker noted the county must reasonably balance its population based on established guidelines between five beat boundaries, and some residents were shifted to different beats and voting precincts.

“For those affected by the change, a new voter registration card has been sent and includes the address to those voters’ new polling locations,” he said.

For additional information on absentee balloting, the redistricting process and where residents can vote, contact Walker’s office by calling 601-384-2320 during business hours.

Among the myriad of races to be decided in the general election will be an election commissioner seat in Franklin County’s District 2 following the resignation of Elizabeth Lazarus; Sixth District circuit court judgeships for Franklin, Adams, Amite and Wilkinson counties; and the hotly-contested Mississippi Second Congressional District race for the United States House of Representatives.