The number of people voting absentee in the Nov. 3 election has increased, Lauderdale County Circuit Clerk Donna Jill Johnson said.

    Those with a legal reason to vote absentee will be able to do so Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon as all 82 circuit clerk offices in the state will be open. Those who need corrections made to their voter registration cards can also take care of that on Saturday as well.

    “This is so we can accommodate the voters who can not make it here to the courthouse during regular work day hours during the week,” Johnson said of the Saturday hours.     

    Johnson said while the number of people voting absentee has picked up, the numbers are down from previous election years.

    “It’s a little down, but we feel we’ll still have a good overall turnout because of the referendums on Initiative 42 and 42-A,” Johnson said.

    Mississippi voters will get to decide on Nov. 3 how public schools are funded through two proposed constitutional amendments. If approved, Initiative 42 would require schools be funded in accordance to the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP), a funding formula signed into law in 1997 by then Gov. Ronnie Musgrove. School districts which are not fully funded can seek injunctive relief through the chancery court system.

    An alternative initiative, I-42A, was crafted by House Speaker Pro Tempore Greg Snowden (R-Meridian) and would allow the Legislature to determine the amount of funding allocated to schools.

    Also on the ballot Nov. 3 will be candidates for statewide elected offices including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state, as well as those seeking office in the state Legislature and county government, including supervisors.

    “Lauderdale County has always had a higher percentage of turnout than the state average,” Johnson said. “In the last statewide general election in 2011, we were in the high 50 percent range in turnout.”

    Johnson said registered voters who might have had an address change have also picked up the pace in contacting her office about changes.

    “People have responded, if they have had a move, and they are getting their correct addresses to us,” Johnson said. “This allows them to get back on the rolls.”