Watson, a first-term Republican, said that “our office can only control the things our office controls” and that the USPS wasn’t on his list. “I spoke to a circuit clerk recently who received a mail in absentee ballot this week that was postmarked last Oct. So everyone should be concerned about mail ballots, especially those states that have or are moving to vote via mail elections.” The USPS delays are expected to play a major role in the 2020 election. This has been the topic of heated partisan debate. Recently, the Postal Service sent out memos to several states, including Mississippi, stating that it might not be in a position to deliver the ballots on time. To prevent overcrowding of polling places due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more people will vote by mail this November. One time, President Donald Trump opposed voting by mail, even though he does it, and said that he would not approve of federal funding for the Post Office to carry out its functions, including delivering and returning ballots. A slowdown in mail volume due to the pandemic has negatively affected the Post Office. “Now they need that money in order to make the Post Office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots,” Trump said, adding if federal funds were not appropriated for the Post Office, “you can’t have universal mail-in voting because they’re not equipped to have it.” The Democratic-controlled U.S. House has approved $25 billion to boost the Postal Service. The Republican-controlled Senate has thus far refused to take up any legislation. In 2016, Mississippi sent 28.716 ballots. Watson advised that absentee voters should apply for a ballot as soon possible. The ballots must be made available by Sept. 21. Mississippi is the only state that requires both a ballot application and the ballot to have been notarized. During the pandemic many states are sending out ballots to all registered voters, or are at least mailing out ballot applications. Mississippi chose to do neither. Mississippi is one of a few states that does not allow early voting. Senator David Blount, of Jackson, stated that Mississippi has the most difficult, restrictive, and burdensome vote by mail laws in America. “We had to amend the laws before the coronavirus. They must be changed now, we are certain.” Gov. Tate Reeves stated that he believes all legal votes will be counted in spite of the coronavirus. Reeves stated that he is comfortable with Mississippi’s election laws, which have allowed them to conduct elections for so many years, and that they are sufficient at this point in time when we are facing a pandemic. “I believe we can have safe and fair elections in November.” To vote by mail or in person in Mississippi, one must be at least 65 years old, disabled, or away from their home on election day. The Legislature passed a bill earlier this year to allow people who are under quarantine due to the coronavirus to vote awayee. Some people wonder if the law change allowing people to vote early in the quarantine period could make it harder for them to vote during the pandemic. Many believe that the existing language in law, without any amendments this year by Legislature, would have allowed circuit clerks to permit people to vote early under a provision that allows people with temporary disabilities to vote early. The ACLU of Mississippi, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Mississippi Center for Justice filed a lawsuit on behalf of a group of Mississippians. They are asking for a judicial decision allowing everyone to vote early due to concerns about voter safety. The law has been amended by the Legislature to allow mail-in ballots for counting as long as they are received at the local circuit clerk’s office within five working days. The old law required that the ballots be delivered to the circuit clerk’s office at least one day before the election. The law in Mississippi does not prohibit a notary from charging to sign a ballot application or to notarize it. However, the regulation is enforced by the Secretary of State. The office admits that the law will prevail over the regulation. It is unclear if out-of-state notaries can charge Mississippians for ballots sent from outside the state._x000D