Gray Tollison is the only name on the ballot for this seat; unopposed candidates still appear on Mississippi ballots, so the race is on the November 3 ballot but is not contested. Voters across the 3rd Circuit Court District (Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah, Union) vote on this seat. Mississippi judicial races are nonpartisan; if nobody wins a majority, the top two meet in a runoff on December 1, 2026, per the Secretary of State's 2026 elections calendar. Listed from the Secretary of State's official sample ballot.
Gray TollisonIncumbent
Gray Tollison is the sitting judge of the 3rd Circuit Court District (Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah, Union), per the Mississippi Judiciary's official directory of circuit court judges and staff. Gray Tollison is on the November 3, 2026 ballot for that seat, unopposed, per the Mississippi Secretary of State's official sample ballot. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 17, 2026.
Bart M. Adams, Shirley C. Byers and Steven Patrick Jubera are on the November 3, 2026 ballot for this seat. Voters across the 3rd Circuit Court District (Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah, Union) vote on this seat. Mississippi judicial races are nonpartisan; if nobody wins a majority, the top two meet in a runoff on December 1, 2026, per the Secretary of State's 2026 elections calendar. Listed from the Secretary of State's official sample ballot.
Bart M. Adams
Bart M. Adams has served as Tippah County prosecuting attorney since 2007, per the Oxford Eagle. He is running for the open Circuit District 3 Place 2 seat being vacated by Judge Kelly Luther. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 17, 2026.
Shirley C. Byers
Shirley C. Byers has served as Marshall County prosecuting attorney since 2007, per the Oxford Eagle. She has previously sought this circuit judge seat in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 17, 2026.
Steven Patrick Jubera
Steven Patrick Jubera has served as an assistant district attorney in the 3rd, 17th and 23rd circuit districts, per the Oxford Eagle. He was a candidate in the first Lafayette County Court Judge race in 2022. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 17, 2026.
Kent E. Smith is the only name on the ballot for this seat; unopposed candidates still appear on Mississippi ballots, so the race is on the November 3 ballot but is not contested. Voters across the 3rd Circuit Court District (Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah, Union) vote on this seat. Mississippi judicial races are nonpartisan; if nobody wins a majority, the top two meet in a runoff on December 1, 2026, per the Secretary of State's 2026 elections calendar. Listed from the Secretary of State's official sample ballot.
Kent E. SmithIncumbent
Kent E. Smith is the sitting judge of the 3rd Circuit Court District (Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah, Union), per the Mississippi Judiciary's official directory of circuit court judges and staff. Kent E. Smith is on the November 3, 2026 ballot for that seat, unopposed, per the Mississippi Secretary of State's official sample ballot. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 17, 2026.
Jenessa Carter Hicks, Sarah J. Liddy, Jennifer L. Shackelford and Michael Watts are on the November 3, 2026 ballot for this seat. Voters across the 18th Chancery Court District (Benton, Calhoun, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah) vote on this seat. Mississippi judicial races are nonpartisan; if nobody wins a majority, the top two meet in a runoff on December 1, 2026, per the Secretary of State's 2026 elections calendar. Listed from the Secretary of State's official sample ballot.
Jenessa Carter Hicks
Jenessa Carter Hicks is in private practice in Oxford, per the Oxford Eagle. She is running for the open Chancery District 18 Place 1 seat, vacant due to the retirement of Judge Larry Little. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 17, 2026.
Sarah J. Liddy
Sarah J. Liddy is a Holly Springs attorney who has practiced law for 25 years, primarily in family law matters, per the Oxford Eagle. She has served as Marshall County Youth Court Referee for 18 years and as the county's Master in Chancery, per the Oxford Eagle. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 17, 2026.
Jennifer L. Shackelford
Jennifer L. Shackelford is a Holly Springs attorney who has practiced law for nearly 30 years, with a practice covering family law, divorce and real estate, per the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 17, 2026.
Michael Watts
Michael Watts was admitted to practice law in 1988 and works for the Holcomb Law Group in Oxford, per the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 17, 2026.
Bob Whitwell is the only name on the ballot for this seat; unopposed candidates still appear on Mississippi ballots, so the race is on the November 3 ballot but is not contested. Voters across the 18th Chancery Court District (Benton, Calhoun, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah) vote on this seat. Mississippi judicial races are nonpartisan; if nobody wins a majority, the top two meet in a runoff on December 1, 2026, per the Secretary of State's 2026 elections calendar. Listed from the Secretary of State's official sample ballot.
Bob WhitwellIncumbent
Bob Whitwell, listed in court records as Robert Q. Whitwell, is the sitting Chancery Judge for the 18th Chancery District, based in Oxford, per the Mississippi Judiciary's official court directory. He is unopposed on the November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 17, 2026.
These race previews show candidates we’re tracking now. A ZIP code shows your statewide and congressional races; a street address adds county and city contests. Local races are address-specific. This guide previews tracked contests, while the lookup tool narrows the list to a voter’s exact address. Tap any name to see the race, full candidate profiles, and everything else on your exact ballot. Mississippi's November 3, 2026 ballot is a federal and judicial ballot: U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Court of Appeals, and every circuit and chancery judgeship under the district lines the Legislature drew in 2025. Party nominees for the federal races were chosen at the March 10 primary. Judicial races and special elections are nonpartisan; if nobody wins a majority, the top two meet in a runoff on December 1, 2026, per the Secretary of State's 2026 elections calendar. Unopposed candidates still appear on the ballot. Mississippi elects county officers, legislators and statewide officials in odd-numbered years (next in 2027). The field is the Secretary of State's official sample ballot dated September 9, 2026.
Tippah County 2026 election questions
Who is on the ballot in Tippah County, Mississippi on November 3, 2026?
Who is on my Tippah County ballot in November 2026? Sample ballot with 10 candidates across 5 tracked races, bios and priorities. Every candidate profile on this page names the official filing or campaign source it came from.
When is the 2026 general election in Mississippi?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for Mississippi are listed on the Mississippi election hub. Mississippi election hub →
How do I see my exact Tippah County ballot?
Enter your ZIP code in the lookup for the statewide and congressional races on every ballot in the county, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location. Look up your ballot →
