Oktibbeha County supervisors approve moving District 5 polling place off Mississippi State campus

The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors voted 4–1 on March 17 to move the District 5 polling location from the Mississippi State University campus back to the Blissburg Street Center, following public comments from residents and a formal motion from a citizen representative.

Why it matters: Residents said the campus location has become harder to access because of campus traffic and parking changes. Supervisors said restoring the precinct to Blissburg Street would address voter convenience for people who normally use that polling place.

The board discussed logistics including who would pay for voter-notification postage and whether the move should take effect immediately or for a later election. Ross Williams, a citizen representing concerns for District 5, told the board his church had offered parking for voters and that “all the citizens that I talked to want that to happen.”

Supervisor Williams moved to return the polling place to the Blissburg Street Center; Supervisor Trainer seconded the motion. Circuit Clerk staff raised the question of paying postage to notify affected voters; board members noted the county has budgeted postage for precinct changes in the past. An alternate suggestion — to delay a relocation until the following election cycle to allow more time for notification — was raised in discussion but not required as a condition in the recorded motion.

The election commission, represented during the meeting, told supervisors it had voted unanimously to keep the precinct at the campus location, but several residents and local leaders urged the board to honor the requests of people who vote at that precinct. Supervisor Carver and others asked about turnout numbers since the move; one supervisor said primary turnout appeared to have decreased after the precinct moved to campus, but exact figures were not provided during the meeting.

The motion to return the polling place to the Blissburg Street Center passed 4–1. The board did not record an immediate implementation date in the motion on the record; staff said voters would be notified by mail when a change is formally scheduled.

The matter may require coordination with the Circuit Clerk’s office for voter-notification mailings and with the Election Commission for operational details leading up to the next election.