In-person absentee voting for runoffs begins Nov. 16

It’s official. The Mississippi Supreme Court Central District and the contested Mississippi Court of Appeals race is heading into runoffs on Nov. 26, just two days before Thanksgiving.

Though it became likely by mid-week, the Associated Press did not announce the runoffs until Friday afternoon.

In the Mississippi Supreme Court Central District race, State Sen. Jenifer Branning, R-Philadelphia, and sitting court justice Jim Kitchens will again face off. Other candidates in the race who will not be in the runoff were Ceola James, a former Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge, and private-practice attorneys Abby Gale Robinson and Byron Carter.

By Sunday, Branning had 41.8% of the votes (132,420), while Kitchens had 35.6% (112,935) of the votes cast in the supreme court race. Both candidates told the Clarion Ledger before Nov. 5 they were prepared for a runoff.

“There’s a clear choice in this Runoff because I’m the only candidate who will bring new energy and Constitutional conservative leadership to the Mississippi Supreme Court,” Branning said in a Facebook post Wednesday. “I’m the only candidate with legal and legislative experience, and I’m the only candidate endorsed by the Mississippi Republican Party.”

The races are supposed to be nonpartisan, meaning no candidate can run with a party affiliation. According to Kitchens, in the 30 years since the state enacted laws mostly to remove partisanship from the courts, he hasn’t seen a judge race without a political element.

Kitchens told the Clarion Ledger he had declined an official endorsement from the Mississippi Democratic Party, but several Democratic leaders in the state have donated to his campaign and been outspoken supporters.

“During the next three weeks, I’ll work harder than ever to inform the voters why I’m ready, willing and able to serve them better than any other candidate,” Kitchens said.

Mississippi Court of Appeals runoff

In the Mississippi Court of Appeals, Amy St. Pe’ will face Jennifer Schloegel. By Sunday, the AP reported St Pe’ to have 35.2% of the votes (84,399), while Schloegel had 33% (78,900).

“I cannot overstate how appreciative I am for everyone who voted for me on Tuesday and worked hard on my campaign to serve you as Judge on the Court of Appeals,” Schloegel said in a Saturday Facebook post. “As we head into the run-off, I will work just as hard to keep your support.”

Whether Schloegel would challenge St. Pe’ in the runoff had been a question mark since Tuesday, when the other candidate in the race, Ian Baker, was gaining on her slim lead. In the end, he was left with 2,909 fewer votes than Schloegel, according to AP results reported on Sunday.

Are absentee ballots still being counted in Mississippi?

Even though all of the races in Mississippi have been called, there are still a few absentee ballots left to tally. Election workers have until Wednesday to finish counting them.

Despite the remaining ballots, this election’s voter turnout will fall much lower than in previous years.

The Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office Communications Director Elizabeth Jonson told the Clarion Ledger last week voter turnout will come to about or just above 60%, meaning tens of thousands fewer of Mississippi’s electorate actually voted by the end of Election Day.

When can I start absentee voting in runoff elections?

According to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office, people can begin in-person absentee voting on Nov. 16 and will have until Nov. 23 to do so at circuit clerk offices. Mail-in absentee ballots will need to be post-marked by Election Day to be counted.

Will judicial candidates continue campaigning?

Branning, Kitchens, St. Pe’ and Schloegel will all need to continue campaigning for the next several weeks.

Kitchens needs to make up a 6% lead that Branning has on him, but both candidates are likely to receive some of the support that James, Carter and Robinson did on Nov. 5. As for Schloegel, she has a less than a 2% margin to make up for on St. Pe’, with many of Baker’s voters also likely to go to either of them.

A November runoff historically has lower turnout than the general election, and with the stressful races such as U.S. President and Congress finished, there is likely to be some voter fatigue.

“Runoff elections generally receive lower voter turnout than general elections,” an elections study by USA Facts found. “Turnout rates depend on a variety of factors including which office is up for election, the competitiveness of the race, and media coverage of the runoff.”

Grant McLaughlin covers the Legislature state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.