NATCHEZ — Party primary elections for the U.S. House of Representatives 3rd Congressional District seat being vacated by Rep. Gregg Harper and the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Roger Wicker will be June 5.

Adams County Circuit Clerk Eddie Walker said absentee balloting is under way at his office in the courthouse at 115 S. Wall St. in Natchez.

Walker said people who will not be able to make it to the polls on June 5 have until noon, June 2 to cast an absentee ballot at his office, and mail in absentee ballots must be received in his office by 5 p.m. June 4.

The circuit clerk’s office, Walker said, is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and will be open 8 a.m. to noon today and June 2 to give people every opportunity to cast absentee ballots before the deadline.

Walker said if people are not able to come into the office due to physical limitations, they can call ahead to his office or send someone in and his office will send someone out to the car to facilitate them casting ballots.

All voters must have state-issued photo identification, such as a driver’s license, and must decide whether to vote in either the Democratic Party primary or the Republican Party primary and cannot switch parties if a runoff election is held later in either or both races.

“Voter turnout is slow,” Walker said of this year’s election. “So far we’ve had 100 absentee votes, so for this time in the election it is slow.”

Walker encouraged everyone to vote whether absentee or at the polls on June 5.

Absentee ballots will be put in the party primary boxes, Republican and Democrat, Walker said, and will be accepted or rejected. Absentee votes will be counted the day after the election when the final votes are certified.

The general election will be held in Nov. 6 when the winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries will face off.

Candidates on the Democratic Primary ballot:

United Sates Senate

David Baria, Jenson Bohren, Jerone Garland, Victor G. Maurice Jr., Omeria Scott, Howard Sherman

U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd Congressional District

Michael Aycox, Michael Ted Evans

Candidates on the Republican Primary ballot:

United States Senate

Richard Warren Boyanton, Roger F. Wicker

U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd Congressional District

Sally Doty, Morgan Dunn, Michael Guest, Whit Hughes, Perry Parker, Katherine ‘Bitzi’ Tate

See Sunday’s The Natchez Democrat for profiles of Democratic Party and Republican Party candidates running for U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd Congressional District and see the June 3 edition for profiles of United States Senator candidates from both parties.

Sample Ballot for June 5 primaries