How to Run for Sheriff in Mississippi

Every Mississippi county elects its sheriff in 2027. To run, you must be a registered voter of the county, have lived in the county for two years on the day before the general election, and not be a defaulter to the state, any county or city, or the United States. 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. The party primary is on Tuesday, August 3, 2027, the runoff, if needed, is on Tuesday, August 31, and the general election is on Tuesday, November 2, 2027.

Independent candidates file a petition signed by at least 50 registered voters of the county, certified by the circuit clerk, with the qualifying statement and a $100 fee by the same deadline. This guide covers both routes, the training rule for a newly elected sheriff, and how to plan a countywide campaign. 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, see our guide to running for local office in Mississippi.

Step 1: Check that you qualify

Every candidate for sheriff must meet the same qualifications, whatever their party. The Secretary of State's guide lists them for sheriff (Miss. Code Ann. Sections 19-25-3 and 23-15-300; Mississippi Constitution, Sections 135 and 138):

• A registered voter of the county. The law calls this being a "qualified elector."
• A resident of the county for two years on the day before the election. For the November 2, 2027 general election, that means living in the county since November 1, 2025 or earlier (based on state law).
• Not a defaulter. A person who, at the time of the election, is a defaulter to the state, to any county or municipality, or to the United States is not eligible (Section 19-25-3). If you are unsure what this covers in your situation, ask an attorney.

Rules that apply to every 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. Manslaughter and tax-law violations are excluded unless the offense involved misuse of an office or its money. Ask an attorney before you file if you have any conviction.
• Voting outside the county. A candidate who voted in an election somewhere else during the two years they were required to live in the county is kept off the ballot, with an exception for someone later redistricted into it.
• Other filings. Check with the Secretary of State for any other filings a candidate must have on record.

Step 2: Understand the training rule for a new sheriff

Section 19-25-3 sets a training requirement that applies after the election, so plan for it now. Before taking the oath of office, or as soon as possible after the election, a sheriff-elect must attend and complete a law enforcement curriculum at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers' Training Academy, at the county's expense. The law excuses three groups:

• a person who has previously served as sheriff, within the ten years before taking the oath;
• a person with at least five years of experience as a full-time law enforcement officer, within the ten years before taking the oath; and
• a person who successfully completed a course of training at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers' Training Academy or the Jackson Police Academy within the five years before taking the oath.

A sheriff who is required to attend and does not do so within one year after taking office is not entitled to salary after the first year until he or she has attended the academy. All sheriffs must also attend advanced law enforcement courses periodically. The law also allows a sheriff to succeed himself or herself in office.

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 fee at the circuit clerk's office in their county. The $100 fee is set by state law for sheriff and is the same for every party, and the Secretary of State's guide says it is made payable to the party. The circuit clerk forwards the papers and fee to 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.

As an independent candidate

Independents appear only on the November 2 ballot. You file with the circuit clerk by 5:00 p.m. on February 1, 2027:

1. A Qualifying Statement of Intent for an Independent Candidate.
2. A petition signed by at least 50 registered voters of the county, with the signatures certified by the circuit clerk's office of the county where they were collected.
3. A $100 fee, payable to the county.

Gather a margin of extra signatures in case some cannot be certified, and allow time for the circuit clerk's office to check them before the deadline. Our guide to running as an independent in Mississippi explains the petition form.

Step 4: File your qualifying papers

1. Use the current county office 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, physical and mailing address, email and phone.
2. Complete the certifications. You certify, under penalty of perjury, that you are a registered voter of the county, meet the residency rule, are not barred by Section 44 and meet every other legal requirement to hold the office.
3. Choose your ballot name. You may use a common short form of your first name, your middle name or a nickname, but a nickname may be used only if election officials decide it is needed to identify you to voters.
4. Deliver it 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. A mailed filing counts only if the circuit clerk receives it by the deadline, and a late filing keeps you off the ballot.
5. File your ethics form. Within 15 days of qualifying, file a Statement of Economic Interest electronically with the Mississippi Ethics Commission.

After the deadline, your party's county executive committee reviews your qualifications. In 2027 it must finish within 30 days, by Wednesday, March 3, 2027 (based on state law), and it must give a candidate it questions written notice and a hearing.

Step 5: Plan a countywide campaign

A sheriff's race covers the whole county, so the campaign is larger than a district race. Plan for more volunteers, more events and a steady way to stay in touch with supporters you meet across the county.

Use the long spring. From the February 1 deadline to the August 3 primary is 26 weeks. A practical approach is to list the county's communities and plan to appear in each one at least twice before the primary: once to introduce yourself and once in the final weeks. Ask your circuit clerk how to obtain a list of registered voters, and focus door-knocking on households that vote in county primaries.

Recruit volunteers by area. As an example only, a countywide campaign might recruit one or two volunteer leaders for each supervisors district to organize door-knocking and events there.

Keep the voter dates in view.

• Registration for the primary: voters must register 30 days before an election. For August 3 the thirtieth day is Sunday, July 4, so ask your circuit clerk for the exact deadline.
• Tuesday, August 3, 2027: the primary. A candidate who wins a majority of the votes cast is the nominee.
• Tuesday, August 31, 2027: the runoff between the top two, if needed. A runoff gives a campaign four weeks to bring its supporters back to the polls.
• Monday, October 4, 2027: voter registration deadline for the general election (based on state law).
• Tuesday, November 2, 2027: the general election.

Our Mississippi 2027 election calendar lists every date.

Step 6: Reach supporters across the county by text

A countywide race is where texting helps most, because you cannot knock on every door twice. Set up CampaignCNX+ in the spring so it is ready for the primary and a possible runoff.

1. Committee and Campaign Verify. Campaign Verify confirms to the carriers (the mobile phone companies) that a political sender is 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 before you request, and contact Campaign Verify Support if you cannot find it. It costs $95, a request made on or after Sunday, November 15, 2026 lasts until January 31, 2029, and Campaign Verify decides eligibility.
2. Registration. CampaignCNX+ files your carrier registration, as 10DLC (the registration for texting from a standard local-style number) or toll-free, and files your Campaign Verify token with it. For a toll-free number, the carrier review usually takes about three business days.
3. Your supporter groups. Add only people who agreed in writing on your sign-up sheets, and record the consent date and source in a custom field. Tags let you sort supporters by community or supervisors district, so a reminder about a local event goes only to the people near it.
4. Scheduled reminders. Schedule texts for the week before the primary, primary day and, if needed, the runoff. Texts send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's time zone, and STOP replies are handled automatically. For example:

Hi [First name], it's [Name], candidate for Sheriff. The primary is Tue, Aug 3. Thank you for standing with us. Reply STOP to opt out.

100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month. For worked budget examples, see what it costs to text a local race, and for texting rules for campaigns, see our political texting page.

Start before January 4

Confirm your two years of county residency, check the defaulter rule and the training rule, and pick up the current form before qualifying opens. When you are ready to keep supporters informed across the county, start a CampaignCNX+ trial.