Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday for Meridian and Lauderdale County residents to cast their votes in a runoff election for state Supreme Court.

On the ballot, state Sen. Jenifer Branning is challenging incumbent Justice Jim Kitchens for the District 1 Seat 3 spot on the bench.

Branning, who has been a practicing attorney in Philadelphia for more than 20 years, has served in the state Senate since 2016 representing District 18, which includes parts of Neshoba, Leake and Winston counties.

Kitchens, who has served on the Supreme Court since 2008 and is one of two presiding Justices on the nine-member bench, is a former district attorney representing Copiah, Lincoln, Park and Walthall counties and worked in private practice before joining the court. He was elected to a second term in 2016 and is seeking a third.

Supreme Court Justices serve eight-year terms. Should Kitchens win reelection, he will be next in line to serve as chief justice should current Chief Justice Mike Randolf step down.

While judicial races in Mississippi are non-partisan, meaning candidates do not run as nominees for political parties, Branning has billed herself as the conservative choice.

In the Nov. 6 general election, Branning was heavily favored in Lauderdale County with 59.09% of the vote. Kitchens received 20.12%, and three unsuccessful candidates accounted for the remainder.

Branning also came out on top in district-wide results — District 1 includes 22 counties — although by a smaller margin. She received 41.8% of the vote, while Kitchens received 35.6%. The win was not enough to reach the 50% plus one vote needed to avoid triggering a runoff.

Registered voters can participate in the runoff election even if they did not vote in the Nov. 6 election.

Those planning to vote in the runoff election should head to the precinct listed under “county precinct” on their voter registration cards. Voters can also look up their polling location online at sos.ms.gov/yall-vote.