Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey
Campaign finance requirements in Mississippi
 in Mississippi |
 |
Federal campaign finance laws and regulations |
|---|
| Campaign finance reform |
| History of campaign finance reform |
| State by state comparison of campaign finance reporting requirements |
| Election policy |
| State information |
Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates and campaigns may receive from individuals and organizations, how they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political parties may contribute to campaigns. In addition to direct campaign contributions, campaign finance laws also apply to third-party organizations and nonprofit organizations that seek to influence elections through independent expenditures or issue advocacy.
This page provides background on campaign finance regulation, lists contribution limits to state candidates and ballot measures in Mississippi, compares contribution limits to gubernatorial and state legislative candidates in Mississippi with those from other states, and details the candidate reporting requirements in Mississippi.
The information on this page pertains to candidates for state office and state ballot measures. Candidates for federal office are subject to federal campaign finance law. Candidates for local office are subject to all applicable state laws as well as any separate local campaign finance regulations.[1]
Background
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is the independent regulatory agency responsible for administering and enforcing federal campaign election laws. The FEC is responsible for disclosing campaign finance information, enforcing limits and prohibitions on contributions and the oversight of the public funding of presidential elections.[2] According to the FEC, an individual becomes a federal candidate, and must begin to report their campaign finances, once he or she has either raised or spent $5,000 in pursuit of his or her campaign. Within fifteen days of this benchmark for status as a candidate, the candidate must register with the FEC and designate an official campaign committee, to be responsible for the funds and expenditures of the campaign. This committee must have an official treasurer, and cannot support any candidate but the one who registered the committee. Detailed financial reports are then made to the FEC every financial quarter after the individual is registered with the FEC. Reports are also made before primaries and before the general election.[3]
The rules governing federal election campaigns and contributions have evolved over the past generation as result of a number of Supreme Court decisions. In the 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, the court held that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited. The court's decision also overturned the ban on for-profit and not-for-profit corporations and unions broadcasting electioneering communications in the 30 days before a presidential primary and in the 60 days before a general election.[4] In the SpeechNOW.org v. Federal Election Commission decision, the first application of the Citizens United decision, the court held that contribution limits on what individuals could give to independent expenditure-only groups, and the amount these organizations could receive, were unconstitutional. Contribution limits on donations directly to candidates, however, remain constitutional.[5][6] In 2014's McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission decision, the court overturned biennial aggregate campaign contribution limits, and held that individuals may now contribute to as many federal candidates as they want, but may only contribute up to the federal limit in each case.[7]
While the FEC governs federal election campaigns and contribution limits, individual states require their own level of regulation and reporting. The amount of regulation required differs by state, as do the limits on campaign contributions and third-party activities to influence elections. Candidates for local office must follow any applicable state and local campaign finance regulations.
Contribution limits
The table below details contribution limits as they applied to various types of individuals and groups in Mississippi as of August 2025. The uppermost row of the table indicates the contributor, while the leftmost column indicates the recipient.
| Individuals | Single candidates committees | Legislative campaign committees | PACs (state and federal) | Political party | Super PACs | Corporations | Unions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide candidate (inc governor) | unlimited | unlimited | N/A | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $1,000 | unlimited | |
| Senate | unlimited | unlimited | N/A | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $1,000 | unlimited | |
| Assembly | unlimited | unlimited | N/A | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $1,000 | unlimited | |
| PAC | unlimited | unlimited | N/A | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | |
| Party committees | unlimited | unlimited | N/A | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $1,000 | unlimited | |
| Ballot measures | unlimited | unlimited | N/A | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | |
| Limits apply per year. | |||||||||
| Sources: Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office, "2025 Campaign Finance Guide," accessed August 11, 2025 | |||||||||
State comparisons in the 2024 elections
Candidate reporting requirements
See statutes: Title 97, Chapter 13, Section 15 of the Mississippi Code
All candidates are required by law to submit regular campaign finance disclosure reports. A candidate is defined as any person who has filed qualifying papers or has spent or received over $200 in aggregate for the purposes of an election campaign. Once the filing deadline has passed, everyone who has submitted qualifying papers is considered a candidate, regardless of the amount spent or received on the campaign.[9]
If a candidate opts to authorize a political committee to act on his or her behalf, the committee must file a statement of organization within 10 days of receiving or spending more than $200. The Statement of Organization must include the following information:[9]
- names and addresses of the committee members and all officers
- must designate a director and treasurer
- must include the name, office sought, and party affiliation (if applicable) of the candidate
The form of the statement is prescribed by the Mississippi Secretary of State.[10]
All reports must include the following types of information:[11]
- Aggregate year-to-date totals: grand totals of contributions received and grand totals of expenditures and disbursements made
- Contributions: itemized listing of every person, business or entity contributing aggregate year-to-date totals of more than $200; information must include the name, address, occupation and employer of the contributor, as well as the date and amount of the contribution
- Disbursements: itemized listing of every person, business or entity receiving aggregate year-to-date totals of more than $200; information must include the name and address of the recipient, as well as the date and amount of the expenditure
In addition to regularly scheduled disclosure reports, candidates and committees must report contributions of more than $200 received between the 10th day and 48 hours before 12:01 a.m. on the date of the election.[11]
Candidates for statewide and state legislative office submit reports to the Mississippi Secretary of State.[11]
Candidates and committees must file regular reports until they file termination reports. A termination report can be filed when contributions are no longer being accepted, expenditures are no longer being made, and there are no outstanding debts or obligations associated with the candidate's or committee's activities.[11]
Campaign finance legislation
The table below displays bills related to campaign finance introduced during or carried over to Mississippi's current legislative session.[12]
Election and campaign ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked 3 statewide ballot measures relating to elections and campaigns.
- Mississippi Voter Identification Amendment, Initiative 27 (2011)
- Mississippi Candidate Districts, Amendment 5 (1987)
- Mississippi Election of the Governor, Amendment 2 (1982)
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Mississippi can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Mississippi County Election Officials
Mississippi Secretary of State
- Physical Address: Heber Ladner Building
- 401 Mississippi Street
- Jackson, Mississippi 39201-1004
- Mailing address: P. O. Box 136
- Jackson, Mississippi 39205-0136
- Phone: 601-576-2550
- Toll free: 800-829-6786
- Fax: 601-576-2545
Mississippi Ethics Commission
- Physical Address: 660 North Street, Suite 100-C
- Jackson, Mississippi 39202
- Mailing Address: P.O. Box 22746
- Jackson, Mississippi 39225
- Phone: 601-359-1285
- Fax: 601-359-1292
- Email: info@ethics.state.ms.us
- Website: https://www.ethics.ms.gov
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
- Washington, DC 20001
- Phone: 301-563-3919
- Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
- Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
- Website: https://www.eac.gov
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
- 1050 First Street, NE
- Washington, DC 20463
- Telephone: (202)-694-1100
- Toll-free: 1-800-424-9530
- Email: info@fec.gov
- Website: http://www.fec.gov/
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Mississippi campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance regulation
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Mississippi
- Mississippi
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Campaign Finance Enforcement," accessed May 28, 2025
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "About the FEC," accessed June 27, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Candidate Registration Brochure," accessed December 7, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "Justices, 5-4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit," January 21, 2010
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Speechnow.org v. FEC," April 7, 2014
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Two Federal Court Rulings Could Change Campaign Finance Landscape," March 26, 2010
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ongoing Litigation," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Limits on Contributions to Candidates 2023-2024 Election Cycle," accessed May 8, 2025
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "2014 Campaign Finance Guide: Ensuring Compliance and Improving Disclosure," accessed January 20, 2014
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Statement of Organization for a Political Committee," accessed January 20, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Mississippi Secretary of State, "2014 Mississippi Elections Candidate Qualifying Guide," accessed January 20, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Bills are organized by most recent action. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
