Leflore County Democratic Party chairman Jesse Ross reassured listeners Wednesday that absentee ballots are guaranteed to citizens who plan to be out of the county on election day, are 65 years old or older or are physically disabled.
Ross spoke to the Greenwood Voters League.
Some attendants said absentee ballots had been denied to qualifying voters in the last county election.
"I don't think it's a problem. I don't think you'll have a problem getting absentee ballots," Ross said.
"If you plan to be outside the county (on election) day, go ahead and get an absentee ballot," he said.
The ballots will be available at the county circuit clerk's office on June 25, Ross said.
Anyone unable to pick up an absentee ballot personally should call the circuit clerk's office for assistance, said Edward Course, chairman of the Leflore County Election Commission.
Ross also recommended that voters make their candidate choices before they arrive at the polls to speed up their voting.
"It's going to be a very long ballot," he said. "It would behoove you … to try to have an idea of who's on that ballot before you get there."
Assuring that an address is correctly recorded at the courthouse is another important step, Ross said. Those who have moved since the last election may now be in a different voting precinct, he said.
Ross reminded attendants that voters can only vote on the Democratic ticket or the Republican ticket during the primary election on Aug. 7. They cannot mix the two.
If a voting machine breaks during an election, paper ballots are used as backup until it can be repaired, Ross said.
The deadline for voter registration is July 8.
