Newton County voters will head to the polls Tuesday to cast their votes in the 2020 primary election.
Tuesday’s primary will decide the Democrat and Republican nominees for U.S. House of Representatives District 3 and U.S. Senate, as well as which candidates will receive Mississippi delegates’ votes to become the nominee for President of the United States.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday to give residents the opportunity to cast their votes.
Circuit Clerk Mike Butler said residents will need to decide whether they’d like to receive a Democrat or Republican ballot when they arrive at their polling location.
“Some people still perceive they are registered as a Republican or Democrat,” he said. “In Mississippi, we are not registered as a party. You would go in that day and either select the Republican or Democrat Table.”
In the event of a runoff election, Butler said, voters would not be able to switch parties in what is known as crossover voting.
“You can’t cross over and vote in the runoff election,” he said. “If you vote in the Republican primary and there’s and runoff on the Democratic side, there’s no crossover voting.”
In the presidential primary, Butler urged residents to do their research prior to voting as some candidates may no longer be running. Some candidates, he explained, suspend their campaigns without notifying the state.
“I can’t, in my position, say this person has withdrawn because they haven’t officially withdrawn from the state,” he said. “People need to do their research and know who’s actually on the ballot.”
For example, candidates Andrew Yang, Tom Steyer, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar are all present on the Democrat primary ballot provided by the Circuit Clerk’s office; however, all four have suspended their campaigns.
Butler said registered voters in the Scanlan precinct should also remember their polling location has been moved to the East Central Alternative School for this year’s election. The Newton County Board of Supervisors previously approved moving the polling location due to dilapidated conditions at the Scanlan Community House.
Absentee voting for the March 10 Primary election ends Saturday, March 7. The Circuit Clerk’s office will be open until noon Saturday to give residents more time to vote absentee. All mail-in absentee ballots must be received by March 10.
“If they were mailed out, they’re required to be mailed back in,” Butler said.
