Jackson Free Press

JACKSON (AP) — Only a third as many Mississippi voters have cast absentee ballots in 2012 as did for the 2008 presidential election.

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann says that's an indicator voter turnout will probably be lower than four years ago.

At noon Monday, 28,593 absentee ballots had been returned to circuit clerks. That's equal to 1.5 percent of registered voters. In 2008, the state saw 88,398 absentee ballots.

Absentee ballots are still coming in. The deadline for returning ballots in person is noon Saturday, while ballots sent by mail must arrive by 5 p.m. on Nov. 5. Military voters can return ballots through 7 p.m. on election day. But totals won't equal 2008, or even the 2011 state election, when 47,580 absentees were counted. Only 42,086 were sent out this year.