Based on the number of absentee ballots received so far, Leflore and Carroll County election officials are expecting a low turnout in the Democratic and Republican primaries on Tuesday.
Elmus Stockstill, Leflore County circuit clerk, said 52 absentee ballots had been received as of Friday. Durward Stanton, Carroll County circuit clerk, said his office had received 36.
Both officials said these numbers are low compared to those for other elections.
Stockstill also noted that the absence of local candidates might lower the turnout.
In Carroll and Leflore, Tuesday’s primaries include the presidential race, the 2nd Congressional District race and the U.S. Senate race.
Although there are 10 candidates for the presidential nomination printed on the Democratic ballot, seven have already dropped out of the race.
They did so after the withdrawal date passed in Mississippi.
The three remaining candidates in the race for Democratic presidential nomination are former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders from Vermont and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii.
“Most of these candidates are national candidates, and they don’t spend much money in Mississippi,” Stockstill said.
The exception was Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City and CEO of Bloomberg, L.P. Bloomberg dropped out of the presidential race following a poor performance on Super Tuesday.
A billionaire, Bloomberg used his fortune to advertise and put staffers on the ground in Republican-dominated states, such as Mississippi.
He hired 24 full-time staffers in the state, Mississippi Today, a nonprofit news site, reported, and spent at least $2.3 million on TV ads. Since dropping out, Bloomberg has endorsed Biden.
The former vice president is scheduled to appear at New Hope Baptist Church in Jackson Sunday.
Sanders was set to appear in the state’s capital Friday but canceled the trip, instead going to Michigan, the New York Times reported.
On Friday, the Greenwood Voters League released its endorsements of Biden for president; incumbent Bennie Thompson for the House of Representatives in the 2nd District, and Mike Espy for the Senate.
Espy is a former U.S. secretary of agriculture and Mississippi congressman.
In 2018, he lost a Senate bid to Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican incumbent, during a special election.
A Mason-Dixon Mississippi Poll released earlier this week found that a majority of Mississippi voters favor the incumbent president, Donald Trump, a Republican.
The poll reported that among registered voters in Mississippi, Trump leads with 56% to Biden’s 41% (with 3% undecided) and 59% over Sanders, who has 36% (with 5% undecided).
The Delta is the only region in the state where the majority of voters — 70% — disapprove of the president’s performance, according to the poll.
In a Biden-Trump race, 68% of Delta voters would choose Biden while 27% would support Trump, according to the poll.
In a Sanders-Trump race, the poll reported that 55% of Delta voters would support Sanders while 31% would favor Trump.
Despite the expected low turnout, Stanton and Stockstill encourage residents to vote on Tuesday. Voters will be required to choose either a Democratic or Republican ballot. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
• Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
