In Mississippi, thousands of voters waited in line for hours to cast their vote. Although the wait at some polling places was longer than an hour, many voters felt the process was easy and secure. At 7:01 a.m., the lines in the metro Jackson area were already full of hundreds of voters. Mississippi Today spoke with many voters who were happy to wait in line. However, they said that they had never experienced a wait this long. This varied depending on which precinct they were at. At the Fondren precinct, Jackson, around 9 a.m., one voter shouted to another person exiting the polling station: “Excuse us, ma’am. How long have you had to wait?” Madison lines were longer. The Ridgeland Recreational Center was split off to The Mark Apartments on Tuesday morning. Wait times at the 1,300 voter precinct in Canton were as long as two hours. The poll manager closes the in-person voting when there are curbside voters. There were five of them by 12:30 p.m. Kimberly Archie, the poll manager, understood that this was the expectation of the secretary-of-state’s office. A few hours further north, Vicki Jarrett, and Deborah West, both poll workers, said that it was busy at the Tupelo Furniture Market, Lee County’s busiest location for polling. They estimated that about 2,800 people had already voted before 4 p.m. They expect that the number of votes cast will easily exceed the 3,500 in 2016’s presidential election. The COVID-19 guidelines were followed by all voters, except one. The curbside service was used by about 20 voters. It was only available to those who were unable to enter the building or had symptoms of COVID-19. Jarrett stated that “we’ve been wiping them down and there’s been someone going around sanitizing their poll booths.” “I’m really happy with the community’s reaction to the guidelines.” Chris Murphy, a poll worker at another Tupelo precinct, stated that they had the highest turnout in over 10 years despite a recent relocation not reflected on the secretary-of-state’s precinct lists as of last week. Murphy stated that they had received approximately 80% of the precinct’s eligible votes as of Wednesday afternoon. On Tuesday morning, the line of voters at Lafayette County’s largest precinct, the Oxford Conference Center was stretched around the lot. The same scene unfolded at the Lafayette Civic Center, which serves 5,162 voters. Few Oxford residents claimed they have not seen long lines at the polling stations in recent elections. Alonzo Hilliard (a University of Mississippi alumnus who lives in Oxford) called the long lines encouraging. “It’s a record-breaking,” Hilliard stated. It’s time to make a change. Historic turnout is not limited to large precincts. Water Valley’s voting scene was calmer and more relaxed than that in Oxford. The voting scene was much more peaceful than in Oxford, with no long lines around buildings or parking lots. Instead, there was a steady flow of voters who came in and out of the polling stations. Steve Cummings, Yalobusha County election commission, said that the longest line seen at his precinct was between 20 and 25 people. However, he said Tuesday’s election could be the largest for the county. Missy Kimzie, another Yalobusha County commissioner for elections, stated that the courthouse was crowded with voters Tuesday morning. This she described as “very unusual.” Rural southwest Mississippi saw unusually crowded polling stations. While some people were forced to wait longer than usual, the process was generally smooth. A line of voters stretched down the hill to the country road at the Tangipahoa Precinct. It is a standalone polling station in unincorporated Amite County. By mid-afternoon, they had received more than 200 votes from 636 registered voters. According to Mississippi Today, an elderly man who has voted there for 40+ years said that this was the first time he couldn’t walk into the building to cast his vote. He drove three times to get there before finally getting in line. A poll manager stated that a voter came to one of the state’s smallest precincts, NOLA, in Sontag at 6 a.m., to cast his vote. Twelve of the 67 registered voters visited within the first three hours. However, there have been past elections where 12 votes were the total. The Navilla Baptist Church McComb polling location, which is one of the largest precincts of Pike County, was particularly overwhelmed. They managed to maintain a steady line with several dozen people well into the afternoon and showed no signs of slowing. By Tuesday afternoon, they had received 508 votes from 1,703 registered voters. Gulf Coast voters waited in long lines on Tuesday. Voters gathered around the Lyman Community Center in Gulfport and St. Joseph Catholic Church in Gulfport on Tuesday morning. Some voters waited for 90 minutes in line at the sun D’Iberville Civic Center just before noon. While lines at many Meridian voting locations were short on Election Day mornings, the Lauderdale County Circuit Clerk’s Office was bustling with voters trying find their voting locations. Chuck Overby, District 1 Election Commissioner said that it was a chaotic, but positive day. Overby stated that there are people voting today who haven’t voted for years. He stressed that people weren’t being turned away, despite the confusion caused by some. He said that all voters are eligible to vote as long as they have signed an affidavit. “We don’t turn anyone down to vote.” Meridian voters were confused Tuesday as their polling locations had been moved recently. They either didn’t receive notice or were misunderstood. The process was easy for most. Jermaine Scott, a first-time voter, and others voted at downtown’s Raymond P. Davis County Annex Courthouse Building were successful. Scott stated that the process was quick and that he felt comfortable and safe. He also noted that everyone was wearing masks. “It was calm.” Voters in Coahoma, Panola, and other counties said that the process was simple, with short wait times and sufficient safety precautions. Many voters waited at the Lee Drive Fire Station, Clarksdale to cast their ballots. They claimed they couldn’t safely move apart due to the limited space available in the fire station. Patricia Cachafeiro (53), said that voting was organized and calm. She said, “It just ran very smoothly.” Kiffney Smith, 39, cast her vote just before noon to avoid the Batesville Courthouse crowd — which is one of the most popular polling places in the area. Rows of pews separated voters inside her precinct to maintain social distance. She claimed that it took her just 10 minutes to vote. Smith stated that the process was quicker than she expected. Linden Leakes, who lives 10 miles north from Batesville in Sardis, also echoed Smith’s sentiments, saying that his voting experience was excellent. The Sardis Courthouse was his polling location. There were five people inside the building at the time he voted. Although polling stations in Shaw, Mound bayou, and Cleveland were more crowded than usual, they did not have as many lines as those in the metro areas. Jacqueline Mitchell, a Cleveland poll worker, stated that about 500 people had already voted by 10 a.m. which is significantly more than she saw in 2016. According to the Secretary-of-State’s office, 1,667 people are served by this polling location. Jamelle Banks moved six months ago from Atlanta to Cleveland and found the quieter location a refreshing change. Banks stated, “This is so much more.” “In Atlanta, when I voted in 2004, lines stretched for hours. This is a huge difference. It’s a significant change for me, but it is a pleasant one.” Cora Jackson stated that the constant activity at Shaw’s polling place reminds her what she knows about voting during civil rights._x000D