Voters in Tippah and Benton counties may be heading back to the polls next month. Unofficial returns from the Nov. 3 general election show no candidate won a majority for the open 18th Chancery District, Place 1 judgeship, which points to a chancery judge runoff on Dec. 1. The fight for the second runoff spot is so close that it may come down to affidavit and late mail-in ballots.
The 18th Chancery District covers Benton, Calhoun, Lafayette, Marshall and Tippah counties. Chancery judges handle divorce and child custody cases, estates, land disputes and other civil matters, so the seat affects many families in the area.
Unofficial Districtwide Totals
The Oxford Eagle reported these five-county totals on Wednesday, Nov. 4. All numbers are unofficial:
Michael Watts: 13,244 votes (about 33.9%)
Jenessa Carter Hicks: 9,142 (about 23.4%)
Jennifer L. Shackelford: 9,010 (about 23.0%)
Sarah J. Liddy: 7,702 (about 19.7%)
The percentages are Tippah News calculations based on those four totals. Watts finished first and got his strongest showing in Lafayette County, where he received 7,350 votes. Only 132 votes separate Hicks and Shackelford for second place.
Why a Chancery Judge Runoff Is Likely
Judicial races in Mississippi are nonpartisan, and a candidate needs a majority of the vote to win outright. When no one clears 50 percent, the top two finishers meet in a runoff. The Mississippi Secretary of State’s 2026 election calendar sets the general runoff election for Tuesday, Dec. 1.
Watts is well short of a majority, so he appears headed to a runoff. His opponent has not been settled.
Shackelford is a Ripley resident. In a Facebook post Wednesday, she told supporters that no one in her race had reached 50 percent and that affidavit ballots still had to be verified. She listed rough counts of affidavit ballots: at least 380 in Marshall County, about 125 in Tippah, about 40 each in Benton and Calhoun, and about 500 in Oxford. She also noted that mail-in ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 can still count if they arrive by Nov. 10, and that results do not have to be certified until Nov. 13.
“So, we may not know anything for days,” she wrote.
Other Judicial Races on the Tippah Ballot
The Oxford Eagle’s unofficial totals for the other contested judicial races that covered Tippah County:
Court of Appeals, District 1, Position 1: Incumbent Judge John Weddle had 28,889 votes to Derek Dewayne Hopson Jr.’s 21,937 in the Third Circuit Court District, a lead of 6,952 votes.
Circuit Court, District 3, Place 2: Bart M. Adams had 25,778 votes, Shirley C. Byers had 17,957 and Steven Patrick Jubera had 8,450. The Eagle listed Adams as the unofficial winner. By Tippah News’ math, his total is about 49.4% of the votes the three candidates received, just under half, so the final certified count will matter in that race too.
What Happens Next
Affidavit ballots: Circuit clerks in each county are reviewing affidavit ballots now. Voters who were told to bring ID or other paperwork should contact their circuit clerk’s office right away.
Mail-in deadline: Ballots postmarked by Election Day must arrive by Nov. 10 to count.
Certification: Results must be certified by Nov. 13.
Runoff: If one is needed, the general runoff election is Dec. 1.
Tippah News will report the certified totals and any runoff matchup once officials release them.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
