House Bill 304 - Nonpartisan County Elections Act

• County offices are designated as nonpartisan; candidates prohibited from campaigning or qualifying based on party affiliation, and political parties banned from fundraising, contributing to, or endorsing county office candidates.

• Candidates for county office must file intent to run 60 days before election and pay fees ranging from $10 (surveyors, coroners, judges, constables) to $100 (district attorneys), with circuit clerks unable to deny ballot placement due to inability to pay.

• County office candidate names appear on ballots in alphabetical order in a separate nonpartisan section with no party affiliation references; unopposed candidates automatically placed on general election ballot.

• If multiple candidates qualify, all names appear on general election ballot; candidate receiving majority vote is elected; if no majority, top two vote-getters advance to runoff election held three weeks later.

• Amends Mississippi election code sections to remove county offices from party nomination fee requirements, add county preferential elections to voter registration revision schedule, and include "preferential election" in election definitions.