Time is ticking on voter registration for 2020 general election

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – We are about 12 weeks from the 2020 general election.

From the Presidential race to a new flag vote on the ballot, Secretary of State Michael Watson wants to get word out about the importance of registering to vote. But, time is ticking.

“You talk about the future of Mississippi and the future of our country and the best way to have an impact on that is to have your voice heard at the polls,” Watson said.

Watson says the goal of the 2020 election is to make sure it is a safe and smooth process in Mississippi, especially during this pandemic.

One change is that everyone must wear a mask when they vote.

“So it is that teamwork mentality and bringing that to elections with our circuit clerks, with our elections commissioners and with legislative leadership. With secretaries of state from around the country we’ve been on Zoom calls with Israel, South Korea and with Taiwan to understand what is working in your state and what was working in your countries and to make sure we have a great plan for everyone to safe,” said Watson.

He says accuracy on the voter roll is also crucial this year.

“We actually have 3.4 million registered voters and that may cause some of your listeners to open their eyes a little bit because we have 2.9 million people here in Mississippi,” said Watson. “The issue there is you have a half-million folks who should not be on the voter rolls. So we have some work to do with that. We’ve actually sent out letters to election commissioners across the state to make sure they’re doing their job of cleaning up the voter rolls.”

And for those who are not registered to vote for this 2020 election, you may want to hurry. The deadline to register to vote is October 5th.

“There are four ways you can register. First you can download the form from our website and send it in to your circuit clerk or your municipal clerk,” said Watson. “The second one is to go in-person to the clerk’s office, your circuit clerk or your municipal clerk. The 3rd is if you want to get your driver’s license with the DPS, you can register there. The fourth is if you are going to any government agency that provides help and you can register at one those. Again, we want to make it as easy as possible.”

Copyright 2020 WLBT. All rights reserved.