Oct. 5 Voter Registration Deadline Nears in Alcorn County

The voter registration deadline for the Nov. 3 general election is Monday, Oct. 5, and residents of Alcorn, Prentiss and Tishomingo counties who are not yet registered, or who have moved, have only a few days left. According to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s 2026 Voter Information Guide, anyone who wants to vote on Nov. 3 must register in person or have a mail-in application postmarked by Oct. 5.

Mississippi requires voters to register 30 days before an election. This year the 30th day falls on Sunday, Oct. 4, so under state law both the in-person deadline and the postmark deadline move to the next business day, Monday, Oct. 5.

How to meet the voter registration deadline

Mississippi does not offer online voter registration for new voters. There are two ways to register:

• In person: at your county circuit clerk’s office (in Corinth for Alcorn County, Booneville for Prentiss County, and Iuka for Tishomingo County) or at a municipal clerk’s office. The state guide also lists public libraries, Department of Public Safety driver’s license offices, and Department of Human Services offices as registration sites.
• By mail: download a Mail-In Voter Registration Application from the state’s Y’all Vote website (yallvote.ms), fill it out, and make sure it is postmarked no later than Oct. 5.

Mail-in applicants must include a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Those who have neither must include a copy of a current photo ID or a document such as a utility bill, bank statement or government check that shows their name and address.

In Alcorn County, the Daily Corinthian has reported that the Circuit Clerk’s office will be open 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 3, for voter registration. Prentiss and Tishomingo County residents should call their circuit clerk’s office to ask about any extra hours.

Who can register

To register in Mississippi, you must be a U.S. citizen and a resident of Mississippi and your county, and you must be at least 18 years old or turn 18 by the date of the general election. You must not have been declared mentally incompetent by a court or convicted of a disqualifying crime, unless your rights have been restored.

Already registered? Check your status

Voters who aren’t sure of their status can look up their registration on the Y’all Vote website. Registered voters with a current Mississippi driver’s license or state ID can also update a name or address online. Anyone who has moved to a new county should re-register in the new county before the deadline.

What’s on the Nov. 3 ballot

The Nov. 3 midterm ballot includes the U.S. Senate race and the race for the U.S. House seat in Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District, along with nonpartisan judicial races, including a seat on the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Alcorn County voters in District 3 will also vote in a special election for election commissioner.

Voting early and on Election Day

• In-person absentee voting is under way now at circuit clerks’ offices for voters who qualify under state law, including voters 65 and older and people who will be out of the county on Election Day.
• Saturday absentee hours: 8 a.m. to noon on Oct. 24 and Oct. 31.
• Photo ID: Voters casting a ballot in person at the polls or at the clerk’s office must show an acceptable photo ID, such as a Mississippi driver’s license, a U.S. passport, or a free Mississippi Voter Identification Card.
• Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Questions can go to the Secretary of State’s voter hotline at 1-800-829-6786. Corinth residents should also note that the city’s mayoral general election is set for Oct. 13, a separate election from the Nov. 3 ballot.

For more, see our reports on Alcorn County absentee voting for the Nov. 3 election and the Corinth mayoral race.

Source: Mississippi Secretary of State, 2026 Voter Information Guide; Daily Corinthian