Mississippi elects its county supervisors in 2027. Each county is divided into five supervisors districts, and each supervisor is elected by the voters of one district. To run, you must be a registered voter of the county and have lived in your district for at least two years before the general election on Tuesday, November 2, 2027. Party candidates qualify by filing a Qualifying Statement of Intent for a Candidate for Party Nomination and a $100 fee at the circuit clerk's office between Monday, January 4 and 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 1, 2027. No petition is needed. The party primary is on Tuesday, August 3, 2027, with a runoff on Tuesday, August 31 if no one wins a majority.
Independent candidates take a different route: a petition signed by at least 15 registered voters of the district, certified by the circuit clerk, filed with the qualifying statement and a $100 fee by the same February 1 deadline. This guide covers both routes in order, and it also covers constables, who are elected from districts within the county and qualify the same way. The rules come from the Mississippi Code and the Secretary of State's candidate qualifying guide and county election handbook. Confirm anything specific to your county with your circuit clerk.
For the full picture of a 2027 Mississippi race, including the countywide offices and the Legislature, see our guide to running for local office in Mississippi.
Step 1: Confirm your district
Supervisor is a county district office. You run in the district where you live, and only the voters of that district elect you. Before you decide anything else, ask your circuit clerk three questions:
- Which supervisors district is your home in?
- Which voting precincts make up that district?
- Will your district's supervisor seat be on the 2027 ballot? The Secretary of State's calendar lists supervisors among the 2027 county offices.
In 2027, Districts Two and Four also elect a county election commissioner, so voters there will see that race on the November ballot as well.
Step 2: Check that you qualify
Every candidate for supervisor must meet the same qualifications, whatever their party. The Secretary of State's guide lists them for supervisor (Miss. Code Ann. Sections 19-3-3 and 23-15-300; Mississippi Constitution, Section 250):
- A registered voter of the county. The Constitution calls this being a "qualified elector."
- A resident of the district for at least two years before the general election on November 2, 2027.
Rules that can disqualify any candidate.
- Certain convictions. Section 44 of the Mississippi Constitution bars a person convicted of bribery, perjury or another infamous crime, unless pardoned, and a person convicted of a felony as that section describes, with exceptions for manslaughter and tax-law violations that did not involve misuse of an office. If you have any conviction, ask an attorney before you file.
- Voting outside the district. If you voted in an election somewhere else during the two years you were required to live in the district, your name is kept off the ballot. A person who was later redistricted into the district is not disqualified for that reason.
- Other filings. Check with the Secretary of State for any other filings a candidate must have on record.
Step 3: Choose your route onto the ballot
As a party candidate
Party candidates, whether Democratic, Republican or of another party, file a Qualifying Statement of Intent for a Candidate for Party Nomination and a $100 qualifying fee. The fee is set by state law, so it is the same for every party, and the Secretary of State's guide says it is made payable to the party. You file at the circuit clerk's office in your county, and the clerk forwards your papers and fee to the secretary of your party's county executive committee within two business days.
A candidate cannot qualify with a party that has no organized county executive committee in the county, unless the party's state executive committee has agreed in writing to serve in its place. This rule applies to every party. The county party executive committee also conducts the August 3 primary and reviews each candidate's qualifications after the deadline.
As an independent candidate
Independents skip the primary and appear only on the November 2 ballot. You file three things with the circuit clerk by 5:00 p.m. on February 1, 2027:
- A Qualifying Statement of Intent for an Independent Candidate.
- A petition signed by at least 15 registered voters of your supervisors district, with the signatures certified by the circuit clerk's office of the county where they were collected.
- A $100 qualifying fee, payable to the county.
Collect more than 15 signatures so that a few that cannot be certified do not leave you short. As an example only, a candidate might aim for 25 to 30. Our guide to running as an independent in Mississippi covers the petition form and the certification step.
Step 4: File your qualifying papers
- Get the current form from the Secretary of State's candidate qualifying forms page or the circuit clerk's office. It asks for your legal name as registered to vote, date of birth, district number, addresses, email and phone.
- Complete the certifications. You certify, under penalty of perjury, that you are a registered voter of the county or district, meet the residency rule, are not barred by Section 44 and meet every other requirement for the office.
- Choose your ballot name. You may use a common short form of your first name, your middle name or a nickname. A nickname may be used only if election officials decide it is needed to identify you to voters.
- File in person and early. Qualifying opens Monday, January 4, 2027 (the first weekday after January 1, based on state law) and closes at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 1, 2027. Papers cannot be filed online, and a mailed filing counts only if the office receives it by 5:00 p.m. on the deadline. A late filing keeps you off the ballot. Pay by check if you can, and keep the receipt.
- File your ethics form. Within 15 days of qualifying, file a Statement of Economic Interest electronically with the Mississippi Ethics Commission.
The county party executive committee then reviews your qualifications. In 2027 it must finish within 30 days of the deadline, which is Wednesday, March 3, 2027 (based on state law).
Running for constable
Constables are also elected in 2027, and the Secretary of State's guide treats constable as a county district office, like supervisor. The steps are the same:
- Qualifications. A registered voter of the county and a resident of the district for at least two years before the general election (Mississippi Constitution, Sections 171 and 250; Miss. Code Ann. Section 23-15-300).
- Party candidates. A Qualifying Statement of Intent for a Candidate for Party Nomination and a $100 fee at the circuit clerk's office by 5:00 p.m. on February 1, 2027.
- Independent candidates. The Secretary of State's guide lists 15 signatures for a county district office, plus the qualifying statement and a $100 fee to the county.
Ask your circuit clerk how many constables your county elects and which district you would run in before you file.
Step 5: Run the district campaign
From the February 1 deadline to the August 3 primary is 26 weeks. In a supervisors district, most of the work is meeting voters at their doors and at local gatherings.
Ask your circuit clerk how to obtain a list of registered voters in your district, and divide the district into areas small enough for one evening or one Saturday morning. As an example only, if you and two volunteers each knock on 40 doors a week from March through July, the three of you would reach about 2,500 doors before the primary. Set your own numbers from the size of your district and the time you have.
Voters must register 30 days before an election, and for August 3 the thirtieth day is Sunday, July 4, so ask your circuit clerk for the exact primary deadline. A candidate with a majority of the votes cast on August 3 wins the nomination; otherwise the top two meet on Tuesday, August 31. Our Mississippi 2027 election calendar lists every date in order, including the October 4 registration deadline for the general election.
Step 6: Keep supporters informed by text
A short text at the right moment reminds supporters when to vote. Set it up in CampaignCNX+ in the spring, well before the primary.
- Settle your committee first. Texting from a registered number for a campaign requires Campaign Verify, a check that confirms to the carriers (the mobile phone companies) that you are a real campaign. It needs a 527 committee (the federal tax status of a political committee) with an EIN (the committee's 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 ask Campaign Verify Support if you cannot find it. Request Campaign Verify on or after Sunday, November 15, 2026, so it lasts until January 31, 2029. It costs $95, and eligibility is decided by Campaign Verify.
- Open your account. CampaignCNX+ files your carrier registration for you, as 10DLC (the registration for texting from a standard local-style number) or as toll-free, and files your Campaign Verify token with it.
- Add only supporters who agreed in writing. Use a sign-up sheet that plainly says the person agrees to receive campaign texts, with the date. In CampaignCNX+, put these supporters in a group and record the consent date and source in a custom field. Never add people from a voter list who did not ask to hear from you.
- Schedule a reminder before the primary. Use the first-name merge field so each text is addressed to the person, and end the first message with the opt-out line:
Hi [First name], this is [Name], running for Supervisor, District [#]. The primary is Tue, Aug 3. Thank you for your support. Reply STOP to opt out.
Texts send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's time zone, and STOP replies are handled automatically. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month. For more wording, see our campaign text templates for local races, and for texting rules for campaigns, see our political texting page.
Get your papers in order before January 4
Confirm your district and your two years of residency, check that your party has a county executive committee, and pick up the current form before qualifying opens. When you are ready to keep supporters informed by text, start a CampaignCNX+ trial.
