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Mississippi › Lowndes County › Columbus

Columbus, Mississippi sample ballot 2026

Columbus voters (Lowndes County, Mississippi) see U.S. Senate plus 3 Lowndes County races on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Your U.S. House district and any precinct-level races depend on your street address.

We use AI to research and write election information. Errors are possible. Verify important details with official sources.

By address

These seats are elected by district; only the district covering your address is on your ballot.

Find your districts by address
Circuit Court Judge, District 16, Place 1Nonpartisan race · James 'Jim' Thomas Kitchens Jr.

James 'Jim' Thomas Kitchens Jr.

NonpartisanIncumbent

James 'Jim' Thomas Kitchens Jr. is the sitting judge of the 16th Circuit Court District (Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha), per the Mississippi Judiciary's official directory of circuit court judges and staff. James 'Jim' Thomas Kitchens Jr. is on the November 3, 2026 ballot for that seat, unopposed, per the Mississippi Secretary of State's official sample ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 17, 2026.

Circuit Court Judge, District 16, Place 2Nonpartisan race · Lee J. 'Jay' Howard

Lee J. 'Jay' Howard

NonpartisanIncumbent

Lee J. 'Jay' Howard is the sitting judge of the 16th Circuit Court District (Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha), per the Mississippi Judiciary's official directory of circuit court judges and staff. Lee J. 'Jay' Howard is on the November 3, 2026 ballot for that seat, unopposed, per the Mississippi Secretary of State's official sample ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 17, 2026.

Circuit Court Judge, District 16, Place 3Nonpartisan race · Michelle Easterling

Michelle Easterling

NonpartisanIncumbent

Michelle Easterling is the sitting judge of the 16th Circuit Court District (Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha), per the Mississippi Judiciary's official directory of circuit court judges and staff. Michelle Easterling is on the November 3, 2026 ballot for that seat, unopposed, per the Mississippi Secretary of State's official sample ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 17, 2026.

Full candidate profiles, priorities and campaign sites are on the Lowndes County page.

Statewide races

U.S. SenateCindy Hyde-Smith (R) · Scott Colom (D) · Ty Pinkins (Independent)
Cindy Hyde-Smith

Cindy Hyde-Smith

RepublicanIncumbent

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Defending life and protecting the unborn
  • Stopping illegal immigration
  • Supporting our Second Amendment rights
About Cindy Hyde-Smith

Cindy Hyde-Smith is Mississippi's sitting U.S. senator and the first woman elected to Congress from Mississippi, per the campaign site. She was appointed to the Senate in 2018, per the campaign site. She served as Mississippi's Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, the first woman in the job, elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2015, and spent 12 years in the Mississippi State Senate, eight of them as agriculture chair, per the campaign site.

Key voting record
  • Voted yes on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 2025 tax-and-spending package, which passed the Senate 50-50 in July 2025, with the vice president casting the tie-breaking vote. Supported
  • Voted no on the Inflation Reduction Act, the 2022 budget reconciliation law covering health care, energy and tax provisions, which passed the Senate 50-50 in August 2022, with the vice president casting the tie-breaking vote. Opposed
  • Voted no on the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and requiring recognition of marriages that were valid where performed, which passed the Senate 61-36 in November 2022. Opposed
Scott Colom

Scott Colom

Democrat

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Lower costs for families
  • Save our Mississippi hospitals
  • Bring good jobs home
About Scott Colom

Scott Colom is a seventh-generation Mississippian, a husband and father of two, and a district attorney, per the campaign site. The campaign site says he was elected district attorney in 2015 and has also worked as a prosecutor and a judge. He announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate in September 2025, per the campaign site.

Ty Pinkins

Ty Pinkins

Independent

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Jobs and economy
  • Healthcare
  • Housing
About Ty Pinkins

Ty Pinkins is an independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Mississippi, per the campaign site. He grew up on cotton farms in the Mississippi Delta, served 21 years on active duty in the Army and holds law degrees from Georgetown, per the campaign site.

Your address is only used to match your districts.

Voting info and more

Voting info and more
Sample ballot by ZIP code in Columbus3 ZIP codes
Lowndes County sample ballotMississippi statewide races

City boundaries and ZIP codes from the U.S. Census Bureau (2024 Gazetteer, 2020 ZCTA relationships). Candidate fields follow official election office filings; confirm with the Mississippi election office before voting.