JACKSON, Miss. – As the southeastern United States has been, and continues to be, battered by hurricanes, the Secretary of State's Office reminds voters of the absentee provision for emergency responders deployed on Election Day.

Under Mississippi’s Armed Services Absentee Voting Law (§ 23-15-673), any voter serving as a trained or certified emergency response provider responding to a state of emergency on Election Day qualifies as a Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) voter and may vote absentee.

If a first responder will not be home on Election Day and did not vote absentee prior to deployment, a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) may be submitted to utilize the SafeVoteMS portal.

For more information regarding how to cast a UOCAVA ballot, please contact your county election officials or email UOCAVA@sos.ms.gov.

Note: According to Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-621, a false application of an absent ballot is a felony and considered vote fraud.