How to Run for Office in Mississippi
A candidate filing guide from Campaign Partner, websites for candidates since 2011.
Your Campaign Website
When you file, your name becomes public and voters, reporters and donors will search for it. Have your website ready first - Campaign Partner sites are ready at signup, from $29/month, free domain name included.
Getting on the Ballot
Mississippi partisan candidates qualify with their party's executive committee: statewide and state-district candidates file a Statement of Intent and qualifying fee with the state party executive committee; county and county-district candidates file through the circuit clerk, who routes the paperwork and fee to the county party; municipal candidates file with the municipal clerk for the municipal executive committee. Fees are famously modest at the local level - $10 for municipal offices, $100 for county offices - rising for statewide races.
Independent candidates file a Statement of Intent plus a petition (50 signatures for county and district offices, 200 for U.S. House, 1,000 statewide) and the qualifying fee, with signatures certified by each county's circuit clerk.
Mississippi's statewide, legislative, and county offices run on the odd-year cycle, and primaries require a majority, with runoffs common.
Where Local Candidates File
The circuit clerk is the practical hub for county candidates (filings, petition certification, and campaign finance reports for county offices); municipal candidates work with the municipal clerk. State-level campaign finance reports are filed with the Secretary of State, and every candidate owes a Statement of Economic Interest to the Mississippi Ethics Commission within 15 days of qualifying.
Running for a local office? See what a school board, city council, mayor or county commissioner campaign website needs.
Worth Knowing
- Deadlines are receipt deadlines - the party executive committee must physically have your Statement of Intent and fee by 5 p.m. on qualifying day; postmarks don't count.
- The odd-year cycle means Mississippi campaigns compete with no federal races for attention, volunteers, or airtime - a genuinely different environment.
- Local qualifying costs less than a tank of gas - the barrier in Mississippi is organization, not money.
Official Mississippi Resources
Filing deadlines, fees, and signature requirements change from cycle to cycle. Always confirm current details with the official sources below.
This page was last reviewed on August 4, 2026. Process details above are believed current as of that date; deadlines and fees should always be verified with your election office.