JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Twenty-two candidates were on the unofficial list for the Jackson mayoral race on the January 31 deadline.

There was confusion with the Hinds County Republican Municipal Executive Committee and the City of Jackson. The Clerk’s Office deemed that since the committee’s president didn’t attend a training, then Republican candidates would not be on the ballot. By Monday evening, the committee said the confusion had been cleared up.

“You know, these municipal elections only happen two or four years. Sometimes laws are enforced different ways. Sometimes there’s confusion about whether or not something is required or not. And so, it’s understandable that the confusion arose, but I’m glad it’s gotten resolved,” said Spencer Ritchie, a member of the Hinds County Republican Executive Committee.

On the Democratic side, the Jackson Municipal Democratic Executive Committee said candidates Keyshia Sanders and Ali Shamsideen would not be on the ballot.

Sanders was kept off of the ballot after she pled guilty to wire fraud in January 2023. She was the former Constituent Service Manager for the City of Jackson.

As for Shamsideen, the committee said he did not meet the residential qualifications.

“The law is the law, and we have to follow the law. And our president was insistent that we sit down and go through documents. We researched, made phone calls, and we got as much information as we could for both of them. And that is that was the end result,” said Jacquie Amos, a member of the Jackson Municipal Democratic Executive Committee.

Shamsideen plans to appeal the decision.

“When I moved to Byram, it was Jackson. I didn’t move away from Jackson. Jackson moved away from me when Byram incorporated. The last time I voted in a municipal election in Byram was in 2017, almost eight years ago. Now, as I say, I moved three years ago. So now, I have a residence in Jackson. They refuse to accept that,” he said.

Both candidates have the option to appeal the decision.