Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 23 - ELECTIONS (§§ 23-NEW-NEW-001 — 23-17-61) › Chapter 15 - MISSISSIPPI ELECTION CODE (§§ 23-15-NEW — 23-15-1111) › Article 37 - MISSISSIPPI PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE PRIMARY AND DELEGATE SELECTION (§§ 23-15-1081 — 23-15-1097) › Section 23-15-1093 - Petition in support of candidacy; qualifying fee; use or disbursement of funds by executive committees of political parties

(1)
Any person desiring to have his name placed on the presidential preference primary ballot shall pay a qualifying fee and file the petition or petitions as described in this section.
(2)
(a)
For candidates entering the race for party nominations for office, the amount of the qualifying fee shall be the amount determined by the state executive committee of the party pursuant to Section
23-15-297(2)
but no less than Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) and no more than Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00).
(b)
For independent candidates entering the race for office, the amount of the qualifying fee shall be Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00).
(c)
Each independent candidate shall pay the qualifying fee to the Secretary of State. Each political party candidate shall pay the qualifying fee to the state executive committee of the appropriate political party.
(3)
The secretaries of the proper executive committee shall hold the funds to be finally disposed of by order of their respective executive committees. The funds may be used or disbursed by the executive committee receiving same to pay all necessary traveling or other necessary expenses of the members of the executive committee incurred in discharging their duties as committee members, and of their secretary and may pay the secretary such salary as may be reasonable.
(4)
A candidate shall file a petition or petitions in support of his candidacy with the state executive committee of the appropriate political party or the Secretary of State, whichever is applicable, after January 1 of the year in which the presidential preference primary is to be held and before January 15 of that same year. To comply with this section, a candidate may file a petition or petitions signed by a total of not less than five hundred (500) qualified electors of the state, or petitions signed by not less than one hundred (100) qualified electors of each congressional district of the state, in which case there shall be a separate petition for each congressional district. The petitions shall be in such form as prescribed by the state executive committee or Secretary of State, whichever is applicable; provided, that there shall be a space for the county of residence of each signer next to the space provided for his signature. No signature may be counted as valid unless the county of residence of the signer is provided. Each petition shall contain an affirmation under the penalties of perjury that each signer is a qualified elector in his congressional district or in the state, as appropriate.
Derived from 1972 Code § 23-13-15 [Laws, 1986, ch. 484, § 8; repealed by Laws, 1986, ch. 495, § 348]; Laws, 1986, ch. 495, § 326, eff. 1/1/1987.
Amended by Laws, 2022, ch. 429, SB 2358,§ 2, eff. 7/1/2022.
Amended by Laws, 2016, ch. 380, SB 2167, 4, eff. 7/1/2016.