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Hinds County plans to hold a July 14 special election to determine whether current District 2 Supervisor Anthony “Tony” Smith will finish his four-year term or be replaced by his predecessor, David Archie.
However, Smith says he is planning to appeal the judge’s ruling that ordered the special election – a race that’s a do-over of a disputed 2023 Democratic primary.
Smith’s appeal could put the special election on hold in the district that stretches through western Hinds County, including Edwards and Bolton, parts of Clinton and Raymond and into parts of Jackson.
Archie was seeking a second term in 2023, and he challenged the outcome of the primary in which Smith was declared the winner. Archie claimed that irregularities marred the election. Smith took office in January 2024.
Special Judge Barry Ford spent weeks hearing Archie’s appeal. On June 3, he ordered the special election, stating that while there was no indication of fraud, errors occurred in the safekeeping of voter materials and the chain of custody had also been compromised.
The winner of the special election will serve the rest of the term that ends on Dec. 31, 2027.
David Archie, center, embraces supporters after a judge ruled in his election contest trial on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Credit: Aaron Lampley/Mississippi Today
Smith confirmed Friday in an interview with Mississippi Today that he and his team will be moving forward with an appeal. They have until July 9 to do so.
Smith initially declined to appeal the ruling, saying on June 3 that he would beat Archie by an even greater margin. He told Mississippi Today that he decided to appeal after community members reached out to voice their opinions.
“They’re calling me directly. They’re reaching out on Facebook. I spent the whole day on the telephone. I just got off the telephone about the same thing a few minutes ago,” Smith said. “I can’t even be as effective as a supervisor, because I’m constantly on the phone with people calling about and complaining about David Archie.”
Smith also said he and his team had new evidence about the matter and were involving the FBI, saying that “something funny is going on and it’s not on our behalf.”
“We’re going to do better, and we have asked the people to forgive us in that sense,” Archie said. “We are apologizing for the antics, we ask them for a second chance, so we can continue, what we have got started. And that is getting the job done.”
Whenever the special election is held, absentee ballots will be available in advance and polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. in 26 precincts.
Mississippi voters do not register by party, and any registered District 2 resident will be allowed to vote in the election, Hinds County District 2 Election Commissioner Bobbie Graves said.
Graves said the commission is doing everything in its power to avoid mishaps in the special election.
“See, sometimes, when we have a big election, things are kind of going in haste,” Graves said. “We’re taking our time with this election. There’s only 26 precincts. So we’re going to handle each one individually with kid gloves.”
Graves said everything in the election will be done in accordance with the law, and that the court had not swayed their election process.
In his ruling, Ford criticized Hinds County Circuit Clerk Zack Wallace’s failure to maintain possession of voter materials. Ford said the missing materials during the ballot box review were “a serious problem.”
When asked how the county will make changes to avoid similar issues in the future, Wallace said he was still gathering information.
Ford also questioned potential conflicts of interest in the certification of Archie’s election, saying that Democratic committee member Sandra McCall and previous Hinds County Democratic Chair Jacqueline Amos should not have taken part in the process.
Hinds County Circuit Clerk Zack Wallace, left, is sworn in as a witness by Special Judge Barry Ford during a hearing on whether David Archie filed an election challenge before the deadline, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
“It appeared to the court that it was certified, but it was not certified by an impartial body based upon the testimony that I heard coming from this stand,” Ford said. “And because it was not certified and because that statute says it should be certified by an impartial body, that certification is void.”
McCall served as campaign manager for Hinds County Tax Collector Eddie Fair during Archie’s 2023 race. Despite her leave of absence from the Democratic committee during Fair’s campaign, Ford argued McCall returned to certify Archie’s election during the 12-day period when Fair’s election could have been contested, which would still make McCall his campaign manager at the time.
Ford said a text message Amos sent to Timothy Lidell after an altercation with Archie in August of 2023 – “But I’m f—ing David Archie on site !!!” – automatically created a conflict of interest. Amos testified that the message was taken out of context and there were no ulterior motives behind it.
Precincts in Hinds County District 2
Precinct 8: Fire Station 5, 1810 North State St., Jackson.
Precinct 11: Jackson Medical Mall, 300 West Woodrow Wilson, Suite 101, Jackson.
