Secretary of State clarifies Mississippi elected office vote requirements

• Some elected offices in Mississippi require a candidate to receive 50% plus 1 vote to be declared the winner while others require a mere plurality of the vote. See what each office requires.

The office of Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson issued a statement on Thursday seeking to provide clarification regarding the vote requirements used to determine winners for elected offices across the state.

Watson’s update comes after recent legislative changes.

“Ensuring Mississippi voters and election officials have clear, straightforward information about how our elections are decided is imperative,” said Secretary Watson. “The requirements are not the same for every office, so we want to make sure candidates, election officials, and voters have trusted information prior to Election Day.”

The Secretary of State said Mississippi law requires some offices to be won by a majority vote, meaning a candidate must receive more than 50% of the votes cast, while other offices are decided by a plurality vote. Winning by plurality means the candidate receiving the highest number of votes is elected regardless of whether that candidate receives more than 50%.

Those elected offices that require a candidate to receive a 50% plus 1 vote threshold to be declared the winner are:

• All 8 statewide offices, which includes Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, and Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner

• Judicial offices, to include State Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Circuit Court, Chancery Court, Justice Court, and County Court

• County offices, namely County Supervisors, Sheriffs, Constables, Chancery and Circuit Clerks, Coroner, Tax Assessor, Tax Collector, County Attorney (if elected), Election Commissioners, and School Boards

The offices that require a candidate to obtain a mere plurality of the vote are:

• Federal offices, including President, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives

• State regional offices, such as Transportation Commissioner, Public Service Commissioner, and District Attorney

• Legislative offices for state Senate and state House of Representatives

• Municipal offices, to include Mayor and City Council / Board of Aldermen