NATCHEZ — Mississippi voting laws have placed Jay Massey in a primary election predicament.

A sign displayed his Cherrybark Lane lawn supports Republican candidate Melanie Sojourner for state senate seat 37. But a second sign next to the one pushing Sojourner supports Democrat Gary Mullins for justice court judge.

Although Massey said he would like to vote for the candidates in both races — which are both contested in August — he has to choose between them because Mississippi has closed primary elections.

And when Aug. 2 comes around, he will have to choose which party’s ballot he will cast.

Since no local Republican candidates besides Sojourner are uncontested this year (District 5 candidate Grady B. Wilson is uncontested in the Republican primary), choosing to vote Republican would mean not casting a vote in local-level Adams County primary races.

“It is kind of frustrating the way the process is,” Massey said.

While Massey said he considers himself a Democrat, he always bases his voting choices on the individual, not the party affiliation.

“I feel like open primaries would be more representative of public opinion,” Massey said.

In addition, since the only two candidates on the state level running for lieutenant governor — Sen. Billy Hewes of Gulfport and state Treasurer Tate Reeves of Rankin County — are Republicans, the Republican primary will determine the winner.

“That race will be over on Aug. 2,” said Sue Stedman, the chairwoman of the Adams County Republican Party.

Mississippi voters can choose which primary to vote in, but voting in both parties’ primaries is a misdemeanor offense, said Pamela Weaver, the director of communications for the Office of the Mississippi Secretary of State.

Weaver said it is also illegal not to vote in the same primary for the first and second election, which is Aug. 26.

Adams County Election Commission Chairman Larry Gardner said he suspects Adams County voters riding a party fence will decide to cast Democratic ballots if they have to choose.

“Most people are going to vote grassroots, because they know most of (the candidates) anyway, and (because) they have more of a direct impact on how you live every day,” Gardner said.

Stedman said Adams County has historically voted Democratic, but Republicans still have local district options and many crucial state-level options in the primaries this year.

Sojourner of Natchez will face Republican Stephen Oglesby of Franklin County in the primary.

Gardner said he has recently pushed for open primaries, which let voters choose any candidate, but interest was not high enough in Adams County to approach the state legislature.

A better system would be an open primary that chooses general election candidates based the one candidate from each party who earns the most votes, Gardner said. He said that system would prevent two candidates of the same party running against each other in the general election.

Stedman said she does not see closed primaries as a problem. But she would prefer open primaries, she said, especially since they would cut down the cost for each party to fund two primary elections.

“It’s getting to be difficult to find poll workers for the primaries,” Stedman said.

Gardner said giving residents more candidate options in an open primary would increase the voter turnout.

“People like flexibility,” he said. “I think if (voters) had more flexibility might get more people to go to the polls.”

Massey, who will have to choose one of the names on his lawn signs to support Aug. 2, said he regrets that a closed primary forces him to choose a race to cast a vote.

“(A closed primary) does limit you at times as far as your voting,” he said.