Mississippi residents hoping to run for local office this year have until 5 p.m. on Jan. 31 to turn in qualifying paperwork to their local municipal clerk’s office.

Voters will head to the polls for primary elections on Tuesday, April 1, with a general election following on June 3 to cast ballots for mayors, city councilmembers and boards of aldermen positions.

So far, nearly a dozen candidates have turned in paperwork to run for mayor in the capital City of Jackson in hopes of unseating the Democratic incumbent mayor, Chokwe A. Lumumba, a Jan. 24 memo from the Jackson Municipal Clerk’s office shows. 

Many will also run to represent their wards on the Jackson City Council this year. Before casting a ballot for council representation, Jackson residents should confirm that the ward they live in aligns with new maps approved by the Jackson City Council in August 2024, as the Clarion-Ledger’s Charlie Drape reported on Jan. 28. 

Federal mandates required the council to redraw the ward maps ahead of the 2025 election after Census data show that the population of the wards were unbalanced.

Headshot of a woman with short hair, thick-rimmed glasses and wearing a raspberry colored top
Southern Poverty Law Center State Director Waikinya Clanton said in an interview with the Mississippi Free Press on June 20, 2024, that redistricting could have an impact on the wards that residents reside in. Photo courtesy of the Southern Poverty Law Center

“These maps could change who your representative is,” Southern Poverty Law Center State Director Waikinya Clanton told the Mississippi Free Press on June 20, 2024, before the Council’s vote on the new ward maps.

Jackson Municipal Clerk Angela Harris told the city council on Jan. 28 that her office has sent letters to those residents whose wards have changed due to redistricting.

You can confirm the ward you reside in by using this tool from the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District or by calling the Jackson Municipal Clerk’s office directly at (601) 960-1035.

➡️ Read more stories from the Capital City Bureau here.

Capital City reporter Shaunicy Muhammad covers a variety of issues affecting Jackson residents, with a particular focus on causes, effects and solutions for systemic inequities in South Jackson neighborhoods, supported by a grant from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. She grew up in Mobile, Alabama where she attended John L. LeFlore High School and studied journalism at Spring Hill College. She has an enduring interest in Africana studies and enjoys photography, music and tennis.