A sheriff defeated by 300 votes, a write-in campaign and an Alabama county divided: "It's chaotic"

It began with a phone call. A grassroots write-in campaign had been launched weeks before Tuesday's midterm election in an effort to keep longtime Alabama Sheriff Jay Jones in office. Jones was ousted in May by about 300 votes in a bitterly fought Republican primary in Lee County by a former sheriff's deputy, Cameron Hunt. 

"Somebody has started this write-in campaign," Lee County resident Jack Carter said, recalling his recent phone conversation, in an interview with CBS News. "And I said, really?" 

Carter said he had spoken with others about trying to write in their votes for Jones after the primary, but nothing ever materialized — until he got that phone call. He said he didn't know who was behind the campaign, and it's challenging to find out. 

A Facebook page dedicated to the "write-in campaign" lists a Proton email address, which is an encrypted account. A query to the email address from a CBS News reporter went unanswered. 

Carter, a former sheriff's deputy — who said Jones was a mentor — and now a local furniture maker, said he was directed to a woman with access to campaign signs reading, "On Election Day write in Sheriff Jay Jones." Soon, the signs began popping up across yards, pickup trucks and local businesses.

He placed one in the back of his black Ram pickup truck and posted a picture online. Then, things began to "blow up," he said. 

Supporters of Hunt accused Jones' camp of being sore losers, while Jones' supporters insisted voters have every right to write in any candidate they choose. Social media posts captured signs being stolen from yards, accompanied by mounting accusations and online bickering. 

"This has not gone the way that this needs to go," Carter said, adding, "It's chaotic."

Sheriff Jones said he was "humbled" by the grassroots campaign in an interview with CBS News, saying, "I was not involved and nor have I solicited anyone for votes." Jones wanted to make clear he isn't involved, as he claims the Alabama Republican Party threatened to remove him from the party because of the growing write-in campaign.

Sheriff elections and quality-of-life issues

While congressional and marquee statewide races dominate midterm headlines, down-ballot contests often play a far more direct role in shaping people's daily life. A sheriff sets local public safety priorities and typically oversees jail operations, budget allocation, response to crime and bail management. 

Nationally, sheriffs are overwhelmingly White and male, according to a 2020 report released by a progressive group, Women's Donor Action, examining sheriff demographics. There are 3,801 sheriffs in the country. In several states, the office is established by the state constitution, often allowing for broad authority — and for many counties the sheriff might be the most visible and powerful position around. 

There are about 1,400 sheriffs up for election in 2026. In 20 states, including Colorado, Alabama, Maryland, Utah and Wisconsin, most of the elected sheriffs are up for the vote, according to Yesim Karaman, a spokesperson at the National Sheriffs' Association, a national organization supporting training, education and advocacy. 

"They're policing, they're making sure that they have the good community relationships, they have the leadership in their counties, and they're responding to the citizens that they serve and who they're elected by," said Karaman.

Sheriffs can also help shape regional policies such as immigration enforcement and gun control. Several 2026 midterm contests feature debates over partnerships with federal immigration authorities, known as 287(g) agreements. In Wisconsin, voters across two counties are weighing in directly on their local sheriffs' cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

Jones and Hunt differed over various policy issues in their campaign, including immigration, guns and Flock intelligence. Jones said his office has often cooperated with ICE, but doesn't have a signed Memorandum of Understanding. He said there is misinformation around what this means for the county.

"We have cooperated with any request we received from ICE, from the local agencies here and federal agency offices in the state of Alabama, to actually, and this is on record, in the last two years, we've actually transferred over 450 individuals to ICE custody from the Lee County Jail," he said.

However, Karaman cautioned that sheriffs' immigration abilities are often based on state law. 

"Whether a sheriff signs a 287(g) agreement and has the ability to cooperate extensively with ICE is a matter of state law and local politics," she said. 

Jones also said he supports the continuation of concealed carry permits, which are issued by the sheriff's office, because it helps keep guns out of the hands of criminals. (Alabama law changed in 2023 to no longer require a permit to carry a concealed handgun in much of the state.) He said he's in "full support of the Second Amendment."

Hunt said he plans to sign a 287(g) agreement, supports open carry laws saying a permit isn't needed, and said publicly that he plans to end the county's Flock contract. He wrote in an email, "I strongly support the Second Amendment, believe immigration laws should be enforced, and recognize the importance of providing law enforcement with the tools necessary to protect our communities." 

Notwithstanding the issues, many sheriffs are still running in nationwide races uncontested. A 2024 data analysis found that over a two-year period from 2022 to 2024, about 62% of sheriff elections were uncontested. 

In Lee County, which holds a population of 190,118 people, Jones has been in office for more than 27 years — and he's rarely had an opponent.

A "simple" grassroots effort grows after an escalating feud

That changed late last October when Hunt, a deputy sheriff at the time, requested a private meeting with Jones to announce his plan to challenge him in the Republican primary. 

"Within approximately ten minutes, I was terminated," Hunt wrote in an email to CBS News, attaching a copy of his termination letter. "There was no legal requirement for Sheriff Jones to terminate me at that point, yet his termination letter specifically cited my intention to run against him as the reason for terminating me."

Jones said he gave Hunt several chances to resign from his deputy position. Local media reported on the firing and subsequent feud.

"It simply would've been an untenable situation" to keep him, Jones said. Several courts have upheld the firing of deputy sheriffs for political reasons. A federal appellate court found in 2021 — when Missouri deputies sued after they were fired for political reasons — the position of deputy sheriff requires political loyalty. The sheriff can fire deputies because they hold policymaking positions for which political loyalty is necessary for effective job performance, the court said. In 2016, North Carolina's Supreme Court upheld the firing of sheriff's deputies who declined to donate to the sheriff's political campaign. 

A month after the May primary — where results showed Hunt defeating Jones by 9,301 to 8,994 votes — Hunt said he filed a formal complaint with the Alabama Ethics Commission. He alleges the sheriff used a departmental GPS tracking system to set up a geofence around Hunt's private residence to monitor any deputies visiting his home. The Alabama Ethics Commission said it couldn't confirm or deny that the complaint exists.

Jones said if there is to be an investigation, he stands ready to "cooperate fully." Hunt said he is also going to call for an independent investigation. 

Jones touted his length of service, which he says has provided stability for the county and allowed him to grow the sheriff's office, which has a budget of $25 million, from 80 people in 1999 to 230 people today. 

He said he wanted to make clear he respected the outcome in May, but what was happening now was "a simple, basic grassroots effort by the members of the community who want a choice in this effort."

Still, the race in Lee County is rare, said Mirya R. Holman, a public policy professor at the University of Houston, and co-author of the book "The Power of the Badge: Sheriffs and Inequality in the United States." 

"It is very unusual for longtime incumbents in any office (including sheriff) to lose primaries," she wrote in an email. "Write-in campaigns are a big unknown — they are very rarely successful for any office, including sheriffs." 

But she said she doesn't know of any data tracking write-in campaigns. (In Oswego, New York, a candidate is running a write-in campaign for sheriff, but never served in the position. In Washington, a successful write-in campaign propelled a candidate onto the sheriff ballot.)

Some voters supporting the write-in campaign for Jones pointed to the differing policies between the two candidates. Debra Beil, a self-proclaimed "liberal" who has lived in conservative Lee County for 35 years, said she was organizing for and supporting Jones because of his experience level. 

She cited his educational programs on gun safety and his stance regarding gun permits among her primary reasons for supporting him. Supporter Chad Lanier added that while Jones' experience was his primary consideration, he also preferred to avoid a heightened presence of federal agents in the county.

Hunt said he's not particularly worried about the write-in campaign and instead remains focused on the commitments he's made to the people of Lee County when he prepares to take office in January.

"I'm the only candidate for sheriff whose name will appear on the November 3 ballot, and I respect everyone's right to participate in the democratic process, including their right to cast a write-in vote," Hunt said. 

In that area, the two agree. Jones said this vote is all about what the will of the people is.

"After all, that's who's being served here," he said. "And their choice should be what matters."

"The sheriff answers to the people," Jones said.