TOUGALOO, Miss.—Jamira Scott and Kailyn Wilson walked into the classroom-turned-voting precinct at Tougaloo College on Nov. 5. The young women handed their IDs to a poll worker at the check-in table and patiently waited for a ballot.
“I don’t see her,” the poll worker said, looking up at the poll manager standing over her shoulder.
“You are not registered here. You have to vote in Hollandale. You can’t vote here if you didn’t change your registration to 500 W. County Line Road,” the poll manager said, referring to Tougaloo College’s address.
Scott, who was registered in Hollandale, Miss., looked forlornly at the table of adults. “I didn’t know that.”
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Under Mississippi law, residents must be registered to vote at the place of their permanent residence. For college students, this is usually either at their parents’ or guardians’ home or their campus dormitory or apartment. The Secretary of State’s website explains the pros and cons of each option. The site also advises students to start the process of applying for an absentee ballot early.
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Alaya Cherry and Kyoscha Spears voted at the Tougaloo College precinct on Nov. 5, 2024. The pair said participating in the election was important because issues like women’s rights uniquely affected them. Photo by Imani Khayyam ” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_8959-2.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_8959-2.jpg?fit=780%2C519&ssl=1″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_8959-2.jpg?resize=780%2C519&ssl=1″ alt=”Young black girls standing outside of Tougaloo chapel for a voting rally on November 5, 2024.” class=”wp-image-49220″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_8959-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_8959-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_8959-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_8959-2.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_8959-2.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_8959-2.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_8959-2.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_8959-2.jpg?w=2000&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_8959-2-1024×682.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w” sizes=”(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px”>Alaya Cherry and Kyoscha Spears voted at the Tougaloo College precinct on Nov. 5, 2024. The pair said participating in the election was important because issues like women’s rights uniquely affected them. Photo by Imani Khayyam
Scott registered during her senior year at Hollandale Simmons High School, where it was mandatory for graduation. This would have been her first time voting. She said her high-school counselors never talked about absentee voting
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