By Janice K. Neal-Vincent, Ph.D.,
Contributing Writer,
Votes are vital for election outcomes. Voters can make a difference in the voting process. But when people do not vote, their voices are muted to how everyday situations are handled. At the same time, their mutation lends itself to voter outcomes that may not have their best interest at heart.
Senator Sollie Norwood (MS State Senate, District 28) orchestrated the “Be Voter Ready” Event at For Your Occasions (1015 West Northside Drive, Jackson, MS 39213) on Monday, September, Sep. 14, 2026 from 12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. The purpose of the event was to encourage people to vote in the upcoming November election.
Upon entering the event, Line Dancers from Golden Key Community Center, 3450 Albermarle Road were dancing to the beat of the music which was being provided by Randy “Wildman Brown” of WMPR Radio. Attendees were also provided with a delicious buffet lunch.
Several hundred people attended and were informed of voting essentialities and their significant impact upon their lives in the near future. A number of leaders were onsite and provided information for the attendants’ benefit.
Crucial to the voting process were handouts that were distributed to attendants. Detailed explanations were given for understanding purposes. For instance, the 2026 Elections Calendar from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office Division was addressed. The month of September was targeted in regards to significant dates. September 21st is the earliest day to vote by an absentee ballot in the Circuit Clerk’s Office in the General Election. The absentee ballot deadline for permanently disabled voters is to be mailed from the Circuit Clerk’s Offices on September 24th. Further, the Circuit Clerks’ offices may remain open from September 28th, 29th, and 30th for Voter Registration (General) from 8:00 a.m. until 7 p.m., including the noon hour.
Other significant dates to remember are the following: Monday, October 5th: Voter Registration Deadline. People registering by this date are eligible to vote in the General Election. Saturday, October 24th & October 31st: In-Person Absentee Voting Deadline (the Circuit Clerk’s office must remain open from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. Tuesday, November 3rd: General Election Day & Regular Special Election Day. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Zakiya Summers, MS House of Representatives (District 68), and Hillman Frazier, Mississippi Senate (District 27) were among politicians beyond Norwood who spoke to the crowd. During this defining moment for democracy, representation and voting rights throughout the State of Mississippi and the nation, they specified that the upcoming election caters to whether communities have a seat at the table regarding decisions that affect their daily lives. Matters of health, public education, cost of living, affordable childcare by working families, are germane to a community’s well-being.
The Rev. Tonie L. Crisler, Senior Pastor of Belmont Missionary Baptist Church, 14011 Highway 18, Raymond, MS 39154, has 250 to 300 members. He asserted, “We have to stop being silent about voting. Pastors and preachers are not addressing voting. We need to be specific. We must educate our people. I tell people who I’m voting for, and I give my parishioners a copy of the sample ballot. On that note, he claimed that he was endorsing Congressman Bennie Thompson and Scott Colom. “
“At my church, candidates come and have opportunity to explain their platform,” the pastor said. He then emphasized that low turnout results from (1) candidates who are not allowed to speak in the churches and (2) families not discussing voting in the homes. He said additionally that people don’t vote “because they don’t know who to vote for” due to a lack of knowledge.
Crysler maintained that he works with One Voice and the NAACP while encouraging people to vote. “You’ve got to get personal,” he voiced. He then mentioned his favorite scriptural verse when it comes to this: 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” The believer backed his claim by saying that God has done His part, but the people have to do their part.
Apart from pastoring, Crisler is Grand Master/CEO of M. W. Stringer Grand Lodge (1072 John R. Lynch St, Jackson, MS 39203). He commented that under his leadership visibility has come to the Masonic Temple. “We have voting power throughout every Mississippi county, we’re also partnering with the Diabetes Association of Mississippi, working with the school district by having free insulin and bringing awareness to the disease. We’re trying to make sure that children and their parents in the Delta (where diabetes is high) have free insulin,” he said.
Crisler noted that the organization has also invited the Jackson Public School System to the table. Two youth groups, Palace of Children and Star Lights, mentor youth and give them $2,500 to $3,500 scholarships per semester to attend college.
Jackson State University students Caprice Epps and Zaniyan Truitt opined about the voting occasion. According to Epps, “Voting is essential to me because it affects my school, community, and future. Coming to JSU as an out-of-state student also showed me how important it is to be involved in the community that I am not part of. Being involved goes way beyond the school community, but knowing what’s going on in the city too. “Voting is essential because it gives people a voice of decision about their lives. It gives citizens the opportunity to make a difference in the community and world in which we live,” said Truitt.
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