Brandon Presley has been pushing voter turnout in the Mississippi governor’s race, including running a digital ad this week that promotes the ease of absentee voting.
Problem is, the ad is advising voters to do something that’s not legal. It tells them to return the absentee ballots they fill out at home by dropping them off in person at their circuit clerk’s office.
There are only two ways to vote legally by absentee ballot in Mississippi. You can go to the circuit clerk’s office and vote in person, and let the personnel there check your voter registration and ID. Or you can fill out the ballot somewhere else and have a notary public or, if you are physically disabled, another adult witness to your identity.
Absentee ballots that are not voted in person cannot be returned in person. They have to be returned through the mail and postmarked as a way to prevent efforts to stuff the ballot box after the election.
Presley or his advisers should know the rules.
