Experts are predicting record high numbers of voters casting ballots in today's mid-term election. But as MPB's Ashley Norwood reports, a chance for rain could mean fewer voters visiting the polls.
The Mississippi Secretary of State's office is counting more than 69,000 requests for absentee ballots. That's almost triple the amount of ballots requested in the 2014 mid-term election.
Secretary Delbert Hosemann says circuit clerks across the state are working until the last hour to record all absentee ballots.
"We're getting like right away back eighty percent of all the ones we're sending out and we'll end up being probably in the ninety percentile of people who requested a ballot actually sending it back to our circuit clerks," said Hosemann.
Laniece Smith is a political science professor at Jackson State University.
She says if weather is a threat, fewer voters--particularly Democrats, will show up to the polls.
"I would just encourage people to not let the rain or cold or wind you know stop them from voting. It matters. It really does matter. And you know one day of getting wet is the price that you could pay, you know the cost benefit analysis for registering your opinion and having some say in who represents you is very very very important," said Smith.
Hosemann says absentee ballots represent about five percent of the total vote. Ashley Norwood, MPB News.
