An independent candidate in Mississippi skips the party primary and goes straight to the general election on Tuesday, November 2, 2027. To get there, you file three things by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 1, 2027: a Qualifying Statement of Intent for an Independent Candidate, a petition signed by registered voters of the county or district, and a qualifying fee. The petition needs at least 50 signatures for a countywide office such as sheriff or circuit clerk, 15 for a supervisors district, and 50 for a State Senate or State House district. The circuit clerk's office of each county where you collected signatures must certify them before you file.
The deadline comes early in the year. It is also the party candidates' qualifying deadline, six months before the primary and nine months before the general election. This guide covers the petition from start to finish, using the Mississippi Code (Sections 23-15-297, 23-15-299 and 23-15-359), the Secretary of State's petition forms and its candidate qualifying guide and county election handbook. Confirm anything specific to your race with your circuit clerk or the Secretary of State's Elections Division.
For the party route and the full 2027 calendar, see our guide to running for local office in Mississippi.
Who files an independent petition
A candidate for a partisan office who does not seek a party's nomination may qualify as an independent. In 2027 that includes the county and county district offices, the Legislature, district attorney and the state offices. An independent "participates only in the November General Election and, for the purposes of the ballot, has no designated political party affiliation," in the words of the Secretary of State's guide.
Two groups follow different rules:
- Justice court judges run as nonpartisan candidates. They file a judicial statement of intent and a $100 fee with the circuit clerk, with no petition.
- Election commissioners in supervisors Districts Two and Four, the only districts electing one in 2027, all qualify by petition, whatever their party. That petition is described near the end of this guide.
Step 1: Work out how many signatures you need
State law sets the minimum number of signatures from qualified electors, meaning registered voters, of the area the office serves (Section 23-15-359(1)):
| Office | Minimum signatures |
|---|---|
| Countywide office (for example sheriff, circuit clerk, tax collector) | 50 registered voters of the county |
| Supervisors district (supervisor; the Secretary of State's guide also applies 15 to constable as a county district office) | 15 registered voters of the district |
| State Senate or State House district | 50 registered voters of the district |
| District attorney (a circuit or chancery court district) | 100 |
| Public Service or Transportation Commissioner (a Supreme Court district) | 300 |
| Statewide office | 1,000 |
These are minimums. Some signatures may not be certified, for example because the signer is not registered at an address inside the district, so collect a margin. As an example only, a supervisor candidate who needs 15 might collect 25 to 30, and a countywide candidate who needs 50 might collect 75 to 100.
Step 2: Use the right petition form
The Secretary of State publishes the petition forms on its candidate qualifying forms page, and circuit clerks have them too.
County and county district offices. The form is titled "Candidate Petition, Independent Candidate" and is addressed to the Election Commission of your county. Its opening paragraph has blanks for the district name and number (if any), your name, whether the election is general or special, the date of the election and the office. Below that are ten numbered lines. Each signer gives a signature, printed name, address and precinct.
Legislative and other state district offices. The form has the same columns but is addressed to the State Board of Election Commissioners, in care of the Secretary of State's Elections Division.
Three rules printed on the forms matter most:
- Complete the header on every page before anyone signs. Each page's opening paragraph must include your name, the office sought and the date of the election. The Secretary of State's guide says all header information must be completed on each petition page before you obtain signatures.
- Copy the form for more pages. Each page holds ten signatures, so a 50-signature petition takes at least five pages, and more if you collect a margin.
- The county registrar certifies the signatures. The form says so, and the Secretary of State's guide says certification comes from the circuit clerk's office of the county where the signatures were collected.
Step 3: Circulate the petition
Who may sign. Only registered voters of the county or district the office serves count toward your total. A person who lives outside your supervisors district, for example, does not count toward a supervisor petition, even if they live in the same county.
When to start. State law says a county or district petition may not be filed before January 1 of the election year, and it must be filed by 5:00 p.m. on February 1. The statute and the Secretary of State's guide do not set a first day for collecting signatures, so ask your circuit clerk before you begin.
How to collect. Knock on doors, visit people you know and attend local gatherings. Explain that the petition asks for your name to be placed on the November ballot, and have each person sign and print their own information on the paper form.
If volunteers help you circulate door to door, Beacon, a door-to-door canvassing app, lets you draw turf (the area each volunteer covers) on a map, assign it, give each volunteer a walk list ordered by distance, and record a result at each door, such as contacted or not home.
Step 4: Get the signatures certified before the deadline
Certification is a separate step that must be finished before you file. Take your completed pages to the circuit clerk's office of each county where the signatures were collected. If your district crosses county lines, as some legislative districts do, each county's circuit clerk certifies the signatures from that county.
The Secretary of State's guide advises independents to "budget sufficient time to ensure the certification of petition signatures by the respective Circuit Clerk's Office well in advance of the qualifying deadline." Bringing your pages in by mid-January leaves time to collect more if the certified count falls short.
Step 5: File by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 1, 2027
| Office | Where to file | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| County and county district offices | The circuit clerk's office | $100, payable to the county |
| State Senate, State House, district attorney | The Secretary of State's Elections Division | $250, payable to the Secretary of State |
With the certified petition, file the Qualifying Statement of Intent for an Independent Candidate. State law requires a statement with your name, the physical address of your residence, your email address if you have one and the office you seek, and you certify that you meet all the qualifications for the office (Section 23-15-359(5)).
Keep these rules in mind:
- Not before Monday, January 4, 2027. No filing may be made before January 1, and January 1 is New Year's Day, a Friday, so January 4 is the first weekday (based on state law).
- Receipt, not postmark. A mailed filing counts only if the office receives it by 5:00 p.m. on February 1.
- Not online. Petitions and qualifying papers may not be filed over the internet.
- Ethics form. Within 15 days of qualifying, file a Statement of Economic Interest electronically with the Mississippi Ethics Commission. Check with the Secretary of State for any other filings that apply to your office.
For a county race, the circuit clerk gives you a receipt for the fee and sends your papers to the county election commission within two business days.
After you file
The election commission reviews each independent candidate's qualifications. If it finds a problem, it must mail you notice at least three business days before a hearing, and it decides within five days of the hearing. A candidate who disagrees may ask the circuit court to review the decision within 10 days, with a $300 cost bond.
Once you are approved, your name appears on the November 2 ballot as an independent. Our Mississippi 2027 election calendar lists every date.
The election commissioner petition
In 2027, supervisors Districts Two and Four each elect one county election commissioner, for a three-year term. Every candidate for this office qualifies by petition, signed by at least 50 registered voters of the supervisors district where the candidate lives, and filed with the chancery clerk (the clerk of the board of supervisors) by 5:00 p.m. on February 1, 2027 (Section 23-15-213). The signatures are certified by the circuit clerk, and the Secretary of State's guide lists no qualifying fee for this office. Candidates declare their party affiliation in writing, if they have one, and it appears on the November ballot, but there is no primary. A commissioner must win a majority; otherwise the top two meet in a second election four weeks later.
Collect texting permission while you circulate
A Mississippi petition asks only that your name be placed on the ballot. It says nothing about text messages, so signing it is not permission to text the signer. Do not text everyone who signed.
Carry a separate sign-up sheet while you circulate. For example: "Yes, text me updates from the Lee for Supervisor campaign. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help. Reply STOP to opt out." Include lines for the phone number and the date. Our post on texting petition signers explains the difference between a signature and consent.
When your list is ready, CampaignCNX+ can send your updates. Campaign Verify, the check that confirms to the carriers (the mobile phone companies) that you are a real campaign, needs a 527 committee (the federal tax status of a political committee) with an EIN (its federal tax ID number) and a filing with an election authority that is published online. Ask the Secretary of State's Elections Division or your circuit clerk where your campaign's filing can be viewed online, and contact Campaign Verify Support if you cannot find it. A request made on or after Sunday, November 15, 2026 lasts until January 31, 2029. CampaignCNX+ files your carrier registration and your Campaign Verify token for you, sends only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's time zone, and handles STOP replies automatically. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month. Our political texting page covers texting for campaigns.
Start in January, finish early
Print the petition, fill in the header on every page, collect a margin of signatures, and get them certified well before February 1. Then file in person with time to spare. When you are ready to keep your supporters informed through November, start a CampaignCNX+ trial.
