Hinds County District 2 special election canceled after judge vacates election order

A special election between David Archie and Tony Smith for the Hinds County Board of Supervisors District 2 seat has been canceled after Judge Barry Ford vacated the order that had set the contest.

Ford had initially ordered the election for July 14, 2026. He later withdrew that order after citing Mississippi law governing how special elections are set, according to reporting by WLBT.

The cancellation means the court-ordered election did not go forward on the date initially selected. The available reports do not establish what final legal remedy will be used to fill the District 2 seat or whether another election date has been set.

Dispute followed 2023 Democratic primary ruling

The special-election dispute stems from the 2023 Democratic primary for the Hinds County supervisor seat. A specially appointed judge had overturned the result of that primary, according to WLBT.

That ruling led to the effort to schedule a new election between Archie and Smith. But the later decision to vacate the July 14 order halted that process before the planned vote.

The reports do not resolve the underlying primary dispute or identify a winner of the contested race. They also do not state when District 2 voters may next be asked to elect a supervisor.

Separate gubernatorial announcement did not include District 2

Gov. Tate Reeves separately announced special elections for Mississippi House Districts 70 and 77, with those elections set for Nov. 3, 2026. The governor’s official announcement did not include the Hinds County District 2 supervisor race.

The House contests are separate from the Hinds County Board of Supervisors seat and do not set a new date for the District 2 election.

The distinction is significant because the supervisor contest remains at an unresolved procedural stage following the judge’s decision to vacate the election order. District 2 representation and the process for filling the seat therefore remain unsettled in the available reporting.

For Hinds County voters, the immediate verified development is that the July 14 special election is canceled, not postponed to a publicly identified replacement date. Any future election or other legal step would require a subsequent action reflected in the governing process.