Mississippi State Auditor
| Mississippi State Auditor | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $90,000 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $14,184,911 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Mississippi Constitution, Article V, Section 134 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
Mississippi State Auditor
Shad White | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 2, 2027 |
| Last election: | November 7, 2023 |
| Other Mississippi Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Executive Director of Environmental Quality • Executive Director of Employment Security • Public Service Commission • Transportation Commission | |
The Mississippi State Auditor is a state executive position in the Mississippi state government. It has been an elected position since 1817. Prior to that there were territorial auditors.
The auditor's main role is to assess state and local governmental and other entities to ensure that public funds are properly used.[1]
Current officeholder
The current Mississippi State Auditor is Shad White (R). White assumed office in 2018.
Authority
The Auditor's powers and duties are established by Article V, Section 134 of the Mississippi Constitution.[2]
Article V, Section 134:
| A State Treasurer and an Auditor of Public Accounts shall be elected as herein provided, who shall hold their office for the term of four (4) years, and shall possess the same qualifications as required for the Secretary of State. They shall receive such compensation as may be provided by law. |
Qualifications
Article 5, Section 133 of the Mississippi Constitution outline the qualifications for Secretary of State, which also apply for Auditor:[2]
| ... He shall be at least twenty-five years of age, a citizen of the state five years next preceding the day of his election, and he shall continue in office during the term of four years... |
- at least 25 years old
- a resident of Mississippi for at least the five years before the day of their election[3]
Elections
Mississippi elects auditors to four-year terms during gubernatorial election years. For Mississippi, 2015, 2019, 2023, and 2027 are all auditor election years.
2027
- See also: Mississippi Auditor election, 2027
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 2, 2027.
Past elections
= candidate completed the 
Full history
To view the electoral history dating back to 2003 for the office of Mississippi State Auditor, click [show] to expand the section. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vacancies
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches the constitutional or statutory text that details the process of filling vacancies for a state executive office. That information for the Mississippi State Auditor has not yet been added. After extensive research, we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
Duties
The state auditor is the head of the Department of Audit, which employs about 150 people. The mission statement of the office is as follows:[1]
"The mission of the Office of the State Auditor is to serve its customers and protect the public's trust by independently assessing state and local governmental and other entities to ensure that public funds are properly received, are legally, effectively, and efficiently spent and are accounted for and reported accurately."
Divisions
As of February 2021, the Department of Audit had four main divisions:[1]
- The Financial and Compliance Audit Division:
- "Responsible for conducting and overseeing audits of public entities." The division is split into five sections, including the Quality Assurance Division, Compliance Audit Division, State Agency Audit Division, County Audit Division, and Information Technology (IT) Audit Division.[1]
- The Investigative Division:
- "Responsible for the investigation of alleged or suspected violations of Mississippi law, including fraud and embezzlement, by public officials related to the purchase, sale or use of any supplies, services, equipment or other public property."[1]
- The Performance Audit Division:
- "Conducts programmatic and performance audits and reviews to evaluate selected operations of government, making recommendations aimed at enhancing efficiency, effectiveness and economy in government."[1]
- The Technical Assistance Division:
- "Responsible for providing accounting and compliance assistance to state and local governments. It also conducts related training and is responsible for the design of uniform accounting systems for local governments."[1]
State budget
- See also: Mississippi state budget and finances
The Department of Audit's budget for fiscal year 2025 was $14,184,911.[5]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[6]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[7]
2021
In 2021, the auditor received a salary of $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2020
In 2020, the auditor received a salary of $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2019
In 2019, the auditor received a salary of $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2018
In 2018, the auditor received a salary of $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2017
In 2017, the auditor received a salary of $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2016
In 2016, the auditor received a salary of $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2015
In 2015, the auditor received a salary $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2014
In 2014, the auditor was paid an estimated $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2013
In 2013, the auditor was paid an estimated $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2012
In 2012, the auditor was paid an estimated $85,500, according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
Historical officeholders
Since 1817, Mississippi has had 42 state auditors.[18]
Click "show" for a list of officeholders.
| Number | Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John R. Girault | 1817 | 1821 | |
| 2 | John Richards | 1821 | 1822 | |
| 3 | Hiram G. Runnels | 1822 | 1830 | Democrat |
| 4 | Thomas B.J. Hadley | 1830 | 1833 | |
| 5 | John H. Mallory | 1833 | 1837 | |
| 6 | A.B. Saunders | 1837 | 1842 | |
| 7 | J.E. Matthews | 1842 | 1847 | |
| 8 | George T. Swann | 1847 | 1851 | |
| 9 | Daniel R. Russell | 1851 | 1855 | |
| 10 | Madison McAfee | 1855 | 1859 | |
| 11 | E.R. Burt | 1859 | 1861 | |
| 12 | A.B. Dilworth | 1861 | 1862 | |
| 13 | A.J. Gillespie | 1862 | 1865 | |
| 14 | Thomas T. Swann | 1865 | 1869 | |
| 15 | Henry Musgrove | 1869 | 1874 | |
| 16 | William H. Gibbs | 1874 | 1876 | |
| 17 | Sylvester Gwin | 1878 | 1886 | |
| 18 | W.W. Stone | 1886 | 1896 | |
| 19 | W.D. Holder | 1896 | 1900 | |
| 20 | William Qualls Cole | 1900 | 1904 | |
| 21 | T.M. Henry | 1904 | 1908 | |
| 22 | Elias Jefferson Smith | 1908 | 1912 | |
| 23 | Duncan Lafayette Thompson | 1912 | 1916 | |
| 24 | Robert A. Wilson | 1916 | 1920 | |
| 25 | W.J. Miller | 1920 | 1924 | |
| 26 | George Dumah Riley | 1924 | 1928 | |
| 27 | C.C. White | 1928 | 1932 | |
| 28 | Joe S. Price | 1932 | 1936 | |
| 29 | Carl N. Craig | 1936 | 1940 | |
| 30 | J.M. Causey | 1940 | 1944 | |
| 31 | Bert J. Barnett | 1944 | 1948 | |
| 32 | Carl N. Craig | 1948 | 1952 | |
| 33 | William Donelson Neal | 1952 | 1956 | |
| 34 | E. Boyd Golding | 1956 | 1960 | |
| 35 | William Donelson Neal | 1960 | 1964 | |
| 36 | William Hampton "Hamp" King | 1964 | 1984 | |
| 37 | Ray Mabus | 1984 | 1988 | Democrat |
| 38 | Pete Johnson | 1988 | 1992 | |
| 39 | Steven A. Patterson | 1992 | 1996 | |
| 40 | Phil Bryant | 1996 | 2008 | Republican |
| 41 | Stacey Pickering | 2008 | 2018 | Republican |
| 42 | Shad White | 2018 | Present | Republican |
Recent news
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Contact information
Mississippi Office of the State Auditor
P.O. Box 956
Jackson, MS 39205-0956
Phone: (601) 576-2800
Fax: (601) 576-2687
Toll Free: (800) 321-1275
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Mississippi Office of the State Auditor, "About," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "The Constitution of the State of Mississippi," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ ‘’Mississippi Secretary of State, “Qualifications and fees for Mississippi candidates,” accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Associated Press, "Mississippi - Summary Vote Results," August 04, 2015
- ↑ State of Mississippi, "Budget Bulletin Fiscal Year 2025," accessed January 21, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 21, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2020," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2019," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2018," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2017," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Table 4.11 Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Table 4.11 Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Historical and Statistical Information," accessed February 2, 2021
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