For What It's Worth

We’re coming up on another Election Day and, to me, the day after Election Day is probably the best day of the year. We’ll see no more ridiculous-sounding television commercials that tell me nothing positive about a candidate or their platform, but instead fling mud at an opponent – either fabricating claims or harping on a 30-yearold statement that has nothing to do with the issues of today.

I bet you could have built quite a bonfire with all the political mailers that arrived over the past couple of weeks. Then again, we are under a burn ban, so outdoor burning is off-limits. Shredding seems like the wiser choice.

Another welcome sight the day after Election Day to me will be the disappearance of campaign signs so we can appreciate the scenery again. Mind you, I fully support the right to back a candidate with a yard sign. I have avoided doing so myself – save for one time – because I must remain neutral in my media role. Naturally, I have candidates I hope will win, but I cannot endorse them on my front lawn.

Under Mississippi law, there is no statewide statute prohibiting political signs from remaining on private property weeks or months after an election. Fortunately, most residents voluntarily remove them within a reasonable window, especially if their candidate lost.

At least four Mississippi communities enforce post-election sign removal ordinances: In Diamondhead, signs must come down within one week after the election.

In McComb, candidates have 10 days after the vote.

In Greenville, residents have 10 days after an election concludes.

In Moss Point, property owners have 30 days after an election or referendum to clear signs and store them away.

Other states handle signage differently. Years ago, I worked at an Iowa radio station alongside a news director whose husband served as the county attorney. He ran every four years and was routinely reelected.

One requirement he faced was maintaining a countywide spreadsheet listing every sign location. After the election, candidates had 45 days to retrieve them. Not wanting to run afoul of the law, he and his campaign team fanned out across the county the very next day to collect them.

Here at home, voters run a gauntlet of signs on their way to cast ballots. In some precincts where I have voted, campaign signs seem to multiply overnight as if fed Miracle-Gro – completely clear the night before, then flanking both sides of the road by sunrise. Fortunately, a civic version of Roundup takes care of them after 7 p.m. On election night, and they vanish.

I vote every time an election is held, just as I have for the past 54 years of voter eligibility. I consider it a civic duty as an American, as well as a privilege, to have a say in our representation and policy. In every election, I have made my way to the polling place and cast a ballot.

Until the past two election cycles, I took pride in voting strictly in person on Election Day. To me, Election Day meant the day to vote, not two or four weeks in advance.

However, both this year and in the presidential election two years ago, I voted absentee. Given my age, I chose absentee voting two years ago to avoid standing in long lines. My hips have reached the point where I cannot stand for extended periods without sitting down. In that instance, my wife held our place in a shorter line while I sat down to rest; otherwise, casting a ballot would have been difficult.

This year, I voted absentee at my wife’s request so we could go together, even though I was prepared to stop by my precinct on the way to work on Election Day. There were no lines this time: We signed in, cast our ballots, and were on our way.

Notice that I use the term “absentee” rather than “early voting.” While other states offer broad early voting windows, Mississippi operates strictly under absentee voting statutes, requiring voters to meet specific statutory criteria before casting a ballot ahead of Election Day.

My qualifying reason is straightforward: I have reached senior-citizen status. Under state law, any registered voter 65 or older qualifies for an absentee ballot regardless of employment or health. That provision covered my ballot both this year and two years ago.

Other qualifying categories in Mississippi include work commitments, being out of the county on Election Day, permanent or temporary physical disability, serving as a caregiver, or being a student or teacher residing away from home. Members of the military and overseas citizens are also eligible.

Alabama and New Hampshire similarly restrict early voting without an excuse. Personally, I believe Mississippi gets it right: If you cannot vote on Election Day, there should be a legitimate reason.

So, will you vote on Tuesday? If so, congratulations — you exercised a hard-won constitutional right.

That’s what I have for now... for what it’s worth.

Bob Bakken is Editor of The South Reporter.