Mississippi voters decide June’s general election ballots during today’s municipal primary election

Not every municipality in the state is participating in today’s primaries. Some cities have candidates who are running unopposed. Other races may include candidates from non-traditional parties, such as independents, who do not need to participate in today’s primaries. 

Josh Carlisle, the city clerk for Flowood in Rankin County, says local elections may be even more important than those at the state and federal level.

“The person that decides your day to day, your public safety, your fire protection, your local taxes are going to be, what your local water bill is going to cost, are your local elected officials,” he said. 

Voters will decide who will represent their respective parties in key positions, including mayors, council members and aldermen, during June's general election. Ballots will also include the option to vote for other appointments, such as a party’s municipal executive committee.

Lindsay Kellum, city clerk for Gluckstadt in Madison County, says her town will be holding a Republican primary election for six aldermen-at-large candidates. 

“We incorporated in June of 2021,” she said. “So this will be our first election, a historical day for us.”

There are around 2,000 registered voters in the city and Kellum expects a good turnout at the polls today. She says several key issues have been discussed in anticipation of the election.

“The local elections affect voters directly, more so than really even the presidential or the federal elections,” Kellum said. “When you see your tax dollars at work at the local level, you're looking at infrastructure, at public works, at public safety, all of those directly affect our community.”

Kellum says it is important for voters to understand exactly where they are registered to vote. 

“I think with this being our first election in a brand new city, we've got a lot of residents that may think that they vote in Gluckstadt,” she said. “If you've looked at our map, our lines, they're kind of funky. So it's really important for voters to reach out to my office, or to check their voter registration cards, to make sure that they are actually within the city limits.”

Some municipal primary races have garnered attention and interest not often given to local elections. 

Angela Harris is the municipal clerk for Jackson. She says the contest between incumbent Jackson mayor Chokwe Lumumba and the 18 other candidates who wish to succeed him is significant - 11 of those candidates are Democrats.

“In 2021 for that primary, we had maybe about three Democratic candidates,” she said. “In 2017, we probably had anywhere from 9 to 10 candidates, but this has been the most.”

Polls for municipal elections across the state open at 7 a.m. and close at  7 p.m. If a voter is in line by 7 p.m., they are still eligible to vote. 

Runoff elections will take place April 22 and the general election is June 3.