NATCHEZ — Absentee voting for the presidential election and local election commissioners will begin Wednesday at the Adams County Courthouse.

Circuit Clerk Eddie Walker said his office will begin mailing out applications and ballots for those Adams County residents who will vote absentee in the Nov. 6 election.

The election will include president and vice president races, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives 3rd Congressional district, Supreme Court Justice district 2 position 3 and local election commissioners.

The local election commissioner’s race includes positions for all five districts in Adams County. All candidates in each district are running unopposed.

The application includes reasons for voting absentee, which include disability, being out of town on election day or being a college student, among others.

Residents over 65 can vote absentee without a reason, Walker said.

Those residents that are not able to come to the courthouse to fill out an application and ballot must use the U.S. Postal Service for all transactions.

“If you’re living in Dallas and want to vote, we’ll send you an application and ballot, you follow all the necessary steps and then send it back,” Walker said.

“But you can’t say, ‘Well I’ll be in town visiting can I just stop by and pick up the application and ballot?’

“They can come by the courthouse and fill everything out in front of us, but everything else has to be handled through the U.S. mail.”

Out-of-town residents and students must have their ballot envelopes properly notarized before being sent back.

Residents with disabilities don’t need to have their ballot envelope notarized, but do need a signature of a witness that is over the age of 18.

Apart from its regular hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, the courthouse will also have extended hours from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 27, and Nov. 3 for absentee voting.

Residents have until 30 days prior to the election, Oct. 6, to register to vote in the November election.

The courthouse will be open from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 29 and Oct. 6 for last-minute registration.

Residents must have lived in Adams County for a minimum of 30 days and be 18 years old, or be turning 18 before the election, to be eligible to vote.

Walker said he will be visiting all Adams County schools, private and public, in the first week of October to help students register to vote.

“A lot of students don’t know that if they’re 17 now, but will be 18 on or before Nov. 6, they can register to vote,” Walker said.

Residents serving in the military or living overseas are encouraged to contact Walker to get information on filing a uniform and overseas vote, which allows for votes to be cast online through a secure website.

For more information about absentee voting or registering to vote, contact the circuit clerk’s office at 601-446-6326.