Elections

2026 Elections

Federal Primary Election 2026 REPUBLICAN Sample BallotU.S. Senate

  • Trent Kelly

DEMOCRAT PRIMARY

Federal Primary Election 2026 DEMOCRAT Sample BallotU.S. Senate

  • Kelvin Buck
  • Cliff Johnson

Registration 

February 9, 2026:  Voter Registration deadline to vote in the March 10, 2026 primary. 

Confirm Voter Registration

You can check your Voter Registration status on the  Mississippi Secretary of State's website.

In-person and mail-in absentee ballots are now available in Circuit Clerk's Office for the March 10, 2026 primary election. 

Absentee In-Person Voting Dates & Times

Qualified registered voters can cast  ballots in person inside the historic courthouse at 2535 Highway 51 S, Hernando, MS 38632.

In-Person Absentee Voting Hours: 

  • Monday–Friday: 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, Feb. 28: 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 7: 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. 
  • Deadline: In-person absentee voting deadline is 12:00 p.m. on March 7, 2026.

Who is entitled to vote absentee in-person?

  1. Any qualified elector who is a bona fide student, teacher or administrator at any college, university, junior college, high, junior high, or elementary grade school whose studies or employment at such institution necessitates his or her absence from the county of his or her voting residence on the date of any primary, general or special election, or the spouse and dependents of that student, teacher or administrator if such spouse or dependent(s) maintain a common domicile, outside of the county of his or her voting residence, with such student, teacher or administrator.
  2. Any qualified elector who is required to be away from his or her place of residence on any Election Day due to his or her employment as an employee of a member of the Mississippi congressional delegation and the spouse and dependents of such person if he or she shall be residing with such absentee voter away from the county of the spouse's voting residence.
  3. Any qualified elector who is away from his or her county of residence on Election Day for any reason.
  4.  Any person who has a temporary or permanent physical disability and who, because of such disability, is unable to vote in person without substantial hardship to himself, herself or others, or whose attendance at the voting place could reasonably cause danger to himself, herself or others.
  5. The parent, spouse or dependent of a person with a temporary or permanent physical disability who is hospitalized outside of his or her county of residence or more than fifty (50) miles distant from his or her residence, if the parent, spouse or dependent will be with such person on Election Day.
  6.  Any person who is sixty-five (65) years of age or older.
  7. Any member of the Mississippi congressional delegation absent from Mississippi on Election Day, and the spouse and dependents of such member of the congressional delegation.
  8. Any qualified elector who will be unable to vote in person because he or she is required to be at work on Election Day during the times at which the polls will be open.

NOTE: By signing the application for absentee voting, the voter can be fined up to $5,000 and sentenced up to 5 years in jail for providing false statements on the application.

Who is entitled to vote absentee by mail?

  1. Any person who is temporarily residing outside of their county of residence, and the ballot must be mailed to an address outside the county.
  2. Any person who has a temporary or permanent physical disability and who, because of such disability, is unable to vote in person without substantial hardship to himself, herself or others, or whose attendance at the voting place could reasonably cause danger to himself, herself or others.
  3. The parent, spouse or dependent of a person with a temporary or permanent physical disability who is hospitalized outside of his or her county of residence or more than fifty (50) miles distant from his or her residence, if the parent, spouse or dependent will be with such person on election day.
  4. Any person who is sixty-five (65) years of age or older.
  5. Any Incarcerated individual who has not been convicted of a disenfranchising crime. Residency of incarcerated individuals is determined by the county of residence of the person prior to his/her incarceration.

How do you request an absentee ballot by mail?

Call the Circuit Clerk's office to request an absentee ballot by mail.  The phone number is 662-469-8007. You must meet the requirements to vote absentee by mail.

Poll Manager Application

The DeSoto County Election Commission is taking applications from  voters to become Poll Managers.  If you are interested, you can fill out the application online or click on this link to the application to print and then return via email to CEngelke@desotocountyms.gov.

Notice to Registered Voters

Reasons to update voter registration are :

  • If you have moved within the county
  • If you have changed your name
  • If you have a change of physical address or mailing address

If you have moved out of the county please send notification to the Circuit Clerk's Office. Voter registration applications (PDF) can be downloaded and mailed to:
DeSoto County Circuit Clerk
2535 Highway 51 S Room 200
Hernando, MS 38632

Register or Update Your Address

You may register to vote either by mail or by visiting the Circuit Clerk's Office or the Municipal Clerk's Office. You may also register to vote when applying for or renewing your driver's license, or when applying for services at numerous state and federal government agencies. These agencies forward your application to the Circuit Clerk's Office; however, you should call the Circuit Clerk's Office to verify the receipt of your application.

If you are unable to visit the locations aforementioned, you may call the Circuit Clerk's Office to request an application to register to vote by mail or you may print one out from this website. You must register 30 days prior to an election in order to be eligible to vote in that election.

Once your voter registration application has been processed in the Circuit Clerk's Office, you will be mailed a voter registration card which will give your voting precinct, precinct location address, Supervisor's District number, and Congressional District number.

Changes to addresses can also be made on the Secretary of State's website.

If you have any questions, please contact the Secretary of State's Office at 800-829-6786 or the DeSoto County Circuit Clerk's office at 662-469-8365.

County Registrar

The DeSoto County Circuit Clerk serves as the county registrar, whose duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Administering and supervising voter registration
  • Issue Mississippi Voter Identification Cards to registered voters who do not have any other acceptable forms of photo ID
  • Preparing and holding elections
  • Serving as staff support to the Election Commission
  • Programming election memory cards and encoders
  • Maintaining records
  • Archiving Election Results
  • Performing additional tasks as assigned