Mississippi
What to know about the election in Mississippi
Mississippi voters have until 7 p.m. Tuesday to cast their ballots for U.S. President, Congress, Senate and several judicial races.
Below is all the information you need to know before heading to the polls:
How to find your voting precinct:
Along with providing access to other information, registered voters can use the Mississippi Secretary of State’s My Election Day tool to locate their polling place. My Election Day also provides voters with a sample ballot, a list of current office holders and contact information for local election officials.
State voters also can just contact the agency’s website to find more information about polling locations and contact information of election commissioners.
Who is on the ballot?
This year’s federal elections include three contested congressional elections and one in the Senate, as well for the U.S. President. Also on the ballots will be three contested judicial races in the Mississippi Supreme Court and the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
Congressional races
As for congressional races, incumbent Republicans Trent Kelly (Dist. 1) and Mike Ezell (Dist. 3) face Dianne Black and Craig Raybon, respectively. Dist. 2 House Rep. Bennie Thompson is facing Republican challenger Ron Eller, and Dist. 3 Rep. Michael Guest, a Republican, is running unopposed.
Those races are not statewide, so only the candidates in your districts will be on the ballot. For example, only Thompson and Eller will be on the U.S. House section of the Nov. 5 ballot in District 2.
Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican, is facing challenger Ty Pinkins. The U.S. Senate race is statewide just like the presidential race, so it will be on ballots throughout the state.
Presidential race
On the presidential ticket, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat from California, is facing former Republican President Donald Trump. A few third-party candidates, including Robert F. Kennedy, who earlier this year endorsed Trump, before withdrawing from the race.
For more information, look at this year’s sample ballot.
Mississippi judicial candidates
As for the state judicial races, 10 candidates are running for seats on the state supreme court and appellate court.
Incumbents in the Supreme Court races are Central District Justice Jim Kitchens and Southern District Justice Dawn Beam. The state appellate court does not have an incumbent this year.
The court races are not statewide but districted. To check what district you are in, look at the Mississippi Secretary of State’s website.
Kitchens is facing four challengers: State Sen. Jenifer Branning, R-Philadelphia, and former Mississippi Appeals Court Judge Ceola James and private practice attorneys Byron Carter and Abby Gale Robinson.
Beam is facing off against David Sullivan, a Gulfport-based attorney who has been city prosecutor and is a municipal judge in D’Iberville.
Running in the appellate court race are Jennifer Schloegel, a chancery court judge for the 8th District, which encompasses Harrison, Hancock and Stone counties; Ian Baker, an assistant district attorney and division chief for the office in Gulfport and Amy St. Pe’, a Pascagoula attorney.
When do polls open?
Polls will open Tuesday at 7 a.m. and close Tuesday at 7 p.m. Voters who are in line by 7 p.m. can still vote as long as they stay in line.
What should you bring to the polls with you?
Mississippi voters are required to provide photo identification when voting, commonly known as Voter ID. Below are acceptable forms of Voter ID:
- A driver’s license (including a Digital ID provided by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety)
- A photo ID card issued by a branch, department, or entity of the State of Mississippi
- A United States passport
- A government employee ID card
- A firearms license
- A student photo ID issued by an accredited Mississippi university, college or community/junior college
- A United States military ID
- A tribal photo ID
- Any other photo ID issued by any branch, department, agency or entity of the United States government or any state government
- A Mississippi Voter Identification Card
A voter who does not have photo ID on election day will be asked to vote via affidavit ballot. They will then have five business days to show an acceptable form of photo ID or apply for a Mississippi Voter ID Card, at their local circuit clerk’s office.
Voters should also consider bringing water and a cell phone with them to the polls in anticipation of lines. Voters who have difficulty or questions can contact the secretary of state’s elections division at 1-800-829-6786
What if I voted absentee or by affidavit?
Absentee and affidavit voters can track the status of their ballots through the My Election Day tool as well. There is a new tracker for both absentee and affidavit ballots. All mail-in absentee ballots must be postmarked by election day to be counted.
How can I follow the election results?
Preliminary results will begin to be announced shortly after the polls close at 7 p.m. The secretary of state will not release official results on election, but preliminary statewide figures will be posted live to the Clarion Ledger’s Mississippi Election Results page at www.ClarionLedger.com.
Further absentee ballots will be tallied in the days following the election, which could determine whether a race will extend into a runoff.
Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.
Mississippi
Mississippi turkey season bag limit, structure proposed for nonresident hunters
‘We’re doing this to decrease the pressure we get early in the season. We’re trying to move that pressure on into later in the season.’
Bobcat stalks and strikes at Wisconsin turkey hunter
Turkey hunter Carson Bender of Wisconsin Rapids recorded a video of a bobcat that stalked and lunged at him as he hunted April 18, 2026 near Nekoosa, Wis.
Carson Bender
If a proposal made in the April meeting of the Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is finalized, nonresident turkey hunters will see big changes in the 2027 spring turkey season.
“We’re doing this in a way to impact how hunting pressure occurs and how the harvest happens in the early season,” said Caleb Hinton, Wild Turkey Program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “We’re doing this to decrease the pressure we get early in the season. We’re trying to move that pressure on into later in the season.”
Turkey hunters enjoy a three-bird bag limit and a little more than six weeks of hunting in spring, which is similar to some other states. What is at issue is when it opens. March 15 is the typical opening date for the regular season, making it one of the earliest in the nation.
That early opening date combined with a growing trend among turkey hunters is where the problem lies.
Mississippi is a destination for early season, nonresident hunters
Possibly more than any other group of hunters, turkey hunters like to travel. For some, it may be a matter of seeing a different landscape and hunting birds under condions they don’t encounter in their home state. For others it may be a quest to harvest each of the subspecies in North America.
For yet another group, it’s the challenge of harvesting a gobbler in each of the 49 states that have turkeys.
“It seems to be getting more and more popular every year,” Hinton said.
Regardless of why a turkey hunter chooses to travel, it puts a target on Mississippi’s back because for the first few weeks of the season, it’s almost the only game in town, so hunters flock to the state.
In an effort to curb the amount of hunting pressure in those first weeks of turkey season, MDWFP proposed limiting nonresident hunters to two legal gobblers per season and only one of those can be harvested before April 1.
“Hopefully, it will help curb the massive influx of pressure we get the first week or two of the season,” Hinton said.
When will turkey season changes for nonresidents be voted on?
The proposed changes aren’t the first that have been geared toward alleviating pressure on turkeys in the early part of the season by nonresidents. In 2022, the commission passed a rule requiring nonresident hunters to enter a drawing for a hunt on public land during the first two weeks of turkey season. Currently, the number of hunters drawn is limited to 800.
Like that change, the current proposal will pass or fail by a vote of the wildlife commission. In the April commission meeting, the proposal passed an initial vote. It is now in a 30-day public comment period and a final vote will be taken in the May meeting.
Public comments may be submitted at https://www.mdwfp.com/proposed-rules-regulations.
A lifelong outdoorsman and wildlife enthusiast, Brian Broom has been writing about hunting, fishing and Mississippi’s outdoors for the Clarion Ledger for more than 14 years. He can be reached at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
Mississippi
Mississippi high school addresses social media post, says it won’t tolerate racism or harassment
LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) – A Mississippi high school has made a statement after a social media post involving a student surfaced.
Northeast Lauderdale High School officials say they’re reviewing a social media post involving a student.
In a statement, the school said administrators are aware of the post and are “reviewing the situation.”
The school said it is committed to maintaining a safe, orderly and respectful environment for students and staff.
“Neither our district nor our school accept or condone racism, discrimination, harassment, or behavior that is inconsistent with the expectations of our school community,” the statement said.
Officials said they are working with the appropriate parties and will address the matter in accordance with district policies and procedures.
The school added that it cannot share additional details because of student privacy laws.
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Copyright 2026 WLBT. All rights reserved.
Mississippi
Ryan McPherson injury update, Mississippi State star hurts ankle, exits Auburn game
(This story was updated to add new information.)
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball starting pitcher Ryan McPherson exited his May 9 return against Auburn with an ankle injury, according to coach Brian O’Connor.
McPherson tripped behind home plate while backing up a potential throw in the second inning and limped back to the mound. The MSU coaches and trainer examined McPherson before pulling him.
McPherson was making his first start since March 20 after suffering a forearm strain.
The No. 11 Bulldogs (38-14, 15-12 SEC) trailed the No. 6 Tigers (35-15, 16-11) by one run with one out in the inning before getting run-ruled 13-2 in seven innings at Dudy Noble Field.
McPherson threw 34 pitches in 1⅓ innings with one earned and one unearned run allowed, two hits, no walks and no strikeouts.
He did not throw a practice pitch while being examined, and he didn’t limp as he walked into the dugout, either.
Ryan McPherson injury update from Brian O’Connor
O’Connor revealed after the game that McPherson was on a 40-pitch limit, so he was likely going to get pulled soon anyway.
“I would hate for the young man to have a setback because he goes out there and tries to throw to another batter or two and changes this delivery because of an ankle (injury),” O’Connor said. “So that’s what went into that decision. It’s unfortunate, but it was good to get him back out there.”
McPherson, a sophomore, missed six straight starts with his forearm injury. He took Charlie Foster’s spot in the pitching rotation for the Auburn series.
One series remains at Texas A&M before the SEC Tournament.
“We’ll see how he recovers from this and then to see what his availability will be for next weekend,” O’Connor said.
Ryan McPherson stats
McPherson was charged with the loss, dropping his record to 3-1 with a 2.62 ERA.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
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