The 2019 political season is afoot. January 2 marked the official start of the qualification period and as of 5 p.m. on Tuesday several Democratic hopefuls had already filed qualifying papers to vie for Sunflower County offices.
Although it is typically a formality, the county democratic committee must verify the applications before the candidates are deemed qualified.
The slate of Sunflower County applicants is as follows:
For Sheriff
James Haywood, Sunflower; Rogers Simpson, Indianola; Tommy Boykin, Ruleville
For Chancery Clerk
Gloria Sample McIntosh, Indianola
For Circuit Clerk
Carolyn P. Hamilton, Indianola
For Tax
Assessor-Collector
Cynthia Woods Chandler, Indianola
For Coroner
Heather Burton, Indianola
For County Attorney
J. Peirce Beach, Sunflower
For Supervisor, Dist 1
Glenn Donald, Indianola; James T. Sample, Inverness,
For Supervisor, Dist. 2
Riley Rice, Indianola For Constable
Northern District
Michael B. Myers. Ruleville
Persons desiring to throw their hat into the political arena must do so by the March 1 deadline.
The Mississippi Secretary of State’s office has issued a set of general guidelines that all candidates seeking office must meet in order to qualify, which include being a registered voter of the state and of the district for which the candidate is seeking, having not been convicted of bribery, perjury or any crime punishable by a minimum of one year in the state penitentiary, unless they have been pardoned for the offense and having not been convicted of a felony in a court on or after December 8, 1992.
Additionally, to qualify as a political party candidate the person will need a qualifying statement of intent for a candidate for party nomination, pay a $100 qualifying fee to that party, filed with the Circuit Clerk’s office, no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, March 1, which is not a postmark deadline, but an actual receipt deadline, meaning the clerk has to actually have it in hand by that time.
The qualifying process for persons seeking a position on the county’s school board does not start until August 7 and the candidate will have until 5 p.m. on Friday, September 6 to file their qualifying statement of intent with the Circuit Clerk’s office along with a petition signed by at least fifty registered voters of the district in which they are contending.
Candidates planning to run as independents must also submit a petition with the designated amount of verifiable signatures and all candidates must complete and submit campaign finance forms. Specific filing information is available on the Secretary of State’s website or at the Sunflower County Circuit Clerk’s office.
Sunflower county positions up for grabs include: Chancery Clerk, Circuit Clerk, Tax Assessor/Collector, Coroner, County Attorney, Supervisor District 1, Supervisor District 2, Supervisor District 3, Supervisor District 4, Supervisor District 5, Justice Court Judge Southern District, Justice Court Judge Northern District, Constable Southern District, Constable Northern District, School Board Member District 3 and School Board Member District 4.
