PRESS RELEASE: Mississippi Votes Joins National Campaign to Educate and Empower Local Voters

JACKSON – In an effort to help young voters across Mississippi participate in their democracy with confidence, this week Mississippi Votes will celebrate National Voter Education Week (“NVEW”), a digital campaign to equip communities with all of the information they need to be informed, confident, and prepared voters.

Running this year from Monday, October 4th through Friday, October 8th, NVEW 2021 aims to help communities build on the 2020 election’s historic turnout levels - which were reached despite a global pandemic - by helping young voters in Mississippi establish a voter identity and create a habit of voting in every single election.

“Mississippi Votes is excited and proud to serve as a National Voter Education Week partner once again,” said Mississippi Votes Executive Director Arekia Bennett. “The goal of this week is to ensure voters, especially new voters, have the tools, information, and confidence they need to cast their ballots. By continuing to organize and educate, we can help young voters develop a positive civic identity that transcends election cycles.”

National Voter Education Week helps voters bridge the gap between registering to vote and actually casting a ballot. During this week of interactive education, Mississippi Votes will help voters in our communities find their polling locations, understand their ballots, make plans to vote in person or by mail, and more.

“Presidential elections get more attention, but local elections take place every year, and a single vote can make a bigger difference in outcomes,” Bennett said. “That is why it is vital for Mississippians to understand the voting process and what’s on the ballot every single year.”

Some areas of Mississippi have elections on Tuesday, November 2nd. Absentee voting, with a valid excuse, runs from Saturday, October 23rd through Saturday, October 30th. Absentee ballots returned by mail must be received by circuit clerks’ offices no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 9th in order to be counted. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before Election Day.

Our slate of in-person events for NVEW is provided below. You can follow us on social media (@msvotes) to follow along during the week.

• Tuesday, October 5th – #MailReady

  • Student Forum with Mississippi State University NAACP
  • 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
  • Allen Hall (Room 12), 175 Presidents Circle, Starkville, MS 39762

• Thursday, October 7th – #BallotReady

  • Community Town Hall and Screening of All In: The Fight for Democracy
  • 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
  • Meridian Community College, 910 Hwy 19 N, Meridian, MS 39307

• Friday, October 8th – #VoteReady

  • Campus Kickback at The University of Southern Mississippi
  • 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
  • Thad Cochran Center (Room 210), 121 W Memorial Dr Thad Cochran Center, Hattiesburg, MS 39406

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PRESS CONTACT: Seth Nieman | 601-341-6234 | seth@msvotes.org