The short version
Mississippi nominates partisan candidates through party primaries. Party candidates qualify with their party; independent candidates qualify by petition. Statewide candidates also pay a qualifying fee.
- Offices you can run for
- Federal (U.S. House and Senate); statewide offices (Governor and other state officials); the Mississippi Senate and House; county and municipal offices; and (nonpartisan) judicial seats.
- How to get on the ballot
- Party candidates file qualifying paperwork with their party; independents file a petition. A statewide office, for example, requires a petition signed by at least 1,000 qualified electors plus a $500 qualifying fee. Candidates also file a Statement of Economic Interest with the Mississippi Ethics Commission within 15 days of qualifying. The Candidate Qualifying Guide lays out the rules by office.
- Who runs candidate filing
- Mississippi Secretary of State — Elections Division
This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice. Filing deadlines and fees change every election cycle and vary by office — the official Mississippi resources below are the final word. When in doubt, the elections authority is right and we're wrong.
Official Mississippi candidate resources
Start here for the exact deadlines, fees, forms, and signature counts for your office and cycle.
Once you're on the ballot, Motion51 runs your field game.
Get your district's voter file loaded, cut into walkable turf, and onto an app your volunteers use at the door. Mississippi is fully available — see how to get your voter file.
Talk to us about your Mississippi race
Tell us what you're running for and we'll help you go from "qualified" to "knocking doors" — voter file loaded, turf cut, volunteers set up.