A write-in campaign to retain longtime Lee County, Alabama, Sheriff Jay Jones has sharpened local divisions ahead of the November 3 election. Jones lost May's Republican primary to former deputy Cameron Hunt, who received 9,301 votes to Jones' 8,994. Now, signs urging voters to write in the incumbent's name have appeared outside homes and businesses and on pickup trucks.
Jack Carter, a furniture maker and former deputy who considers Jones a mentor, told CBS News he learned about the effort through a phone call. Carter had previously discussed write-in voting with others, but those conversations had produced no campaign. He said he still did not know who organized the effort. Its Facebook page lists an encrypted Proton email address that did not respond to a CBS News inquiry.
After Carter displayed a sign on his truck and shared a photograph online, he said, the response escalated. Hunt supporters accused Jones' backers of refusing to accept defeat, while Jones supporters defended their right to choose a write-in candidate. Social media posts showed signs being stolen amid accusations and arguments. “It's chaotic,” Carter said.
Jones told CBS News he felt “humbled” by the support but had neither organized the campaign nor solicited votes. He also claimed the Alabama Republican Party had threatened to remove him because of the effort. Jones, who has served for more than 27 years, said he respected the primary result and described the campaign as a community initiative to give voters a choice.
The dispute between the candidates began in late October last year, when Hunt, then a deputy, privately informed Jones that he intended to challenge him. Hunt said he was fired within roughly 10 minutes and supplied CBS News with a termination letter citing his candidacy. Jones said he offered Hunt several opportunities to resign and considered keeping him on staff untenable.
A month after the primary, Hunt said he filed an Alabama Ethics Commission complaint alleging Jones used a departmental GPS system to monitor deputies visiting Hunt's home by establishing a geofence around the property. The commission would neither confirm nor deny the complaint's existence. Jones said he would cooperate fully with any investigation, while Hunt said he would also seek an independent inquiry.
Their policy differences include immigration enforcement, firearms and the county's Flock contract. Hunt intends to sign a 287(g) agreement with federal immigration authorities and has publicly pledged to end the Flock contract. Jones said his office already cooperates with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement without a signed memorandum, transferring more than 450 people from the county jail into ICE custody over the past two years. Jones supports continuing concealed carry permits, citing their role in keeping guns from criminals. Hunt supports open carry laws and says a permit is unnecessary.
The contest is unusual in a field where incumbents frequently face little opposition. An analysis covering 2022 through 2024 found about 62% of sheriff elections were uncontested. University of Houston public policy professor Mirya R. Holman told CBS News that longtime incumbents rarely lose primaries and write-in campaigns seldom succeed. Jones credits his tenure with providing stability and expanding the office from 80 employees in 1999 to 230, with a $25 million budget.
Jones supporters Debra Beil and Chad Lanier cited his experience, with Beil also highlighting gun safety education and permits, and Lanier expressing concern about a greater federal presence. Hunt said he remained focused on his commitments and preparing to take office in January. Although his name is the only one printed on the sheriff ballot, he said he respects voters' right to write in a candidate.
