NATCHEZ — Those who want to exercise their right to vote but cannot move their bodies to the polls on Nov. 2 can participate in the election via absentee ballot.

Adams County Circuit Clerk’s Eddie Walker said since the absentee ballots arrived at the circuit clerk’s office Thursday from the secretary of state, 100 absentee applications have been mailed out and 15 absentee ballots have already been cast.

To qualify for absentee voting, residents must first request an application by stopping by the circuit clerk’s office or calling the office to request an application in the mail.

Voters qualify for absentee voting if they cannot be in town during election day or if they are permanently disabled.

Walker said permanently disabled people should ask their doctor to send a letter to the circuit clerk’s office. Once a doctor’s letter and absentee application is on file, the clerk’s office will mail a ballot to the disabled person for each subsequent election.

Residents in the military can vote absentee via e-mail, mail or fax.

Further instructions and application requests for absentee voting can be answered by calling the Adams County Circuit Clerk’s office at 601-446-6326 or the Mississippi Secretary of State’s elections answer line at 1-800-829-6786.

When mailing an application and ballot to the clerk’s office, the application and ballot must be sent through the U.S. post office in the separate envelopes provided.

Only those ballots delivered by U.S. mail to the circuit clerk’s office by 5 p.m. Nov. 1 will be counted.

The circuit clerk’s office will be open 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 30 for the purpose of handing allowing voters to apply for an absentee ballot.

Walker said the most common mistake made on absentee ballots are when voters’ signatures do not cross over the flap of the envelope to prove it was sealed. Approximately 10 percent of absentee ballots are thrown out due to this mistake.

The Nov. 2 election will be a congressional and judicial election.

Only one contested congressional race will be on the ballot between Democrat Joel Gill, Republican incumbent Gregg Harper and Reform Party candidate Tracella Hill.

Judicial elections include an election for the Supreme Court justice, court of appeals, chancery court judge, circuit court judge and county court judges.

Judicial candidates are running unopposed.

All judicial candidates include: Jess Dickinson for Supreme Court Justice, Joe Lee for court of appeals, John Hudson for county court judge, Vincent Davis for District 17 chancery court judge in subdistrict 1, George Ward for District 17 chancery court judge in subdistrict 2, Lillie Blackmon Sanders for District 6 circuit court judge in subdistrict 1 and Forest “Al” Johnson for District 6 circuit court in subdistrict 2.

Circuit Clerk Eddie Walker said residents who are under 18, but will be 18 by Nov. 2 are invited to register to vote.