Lee County voters launch grassroots effort to write in Sheriff Jay Jones

UPDATE: This report has been updated to include a response from Lee County Republican nominee for Sheriff Cam Hunt.

Turns out it ain’t over till the fat lady sings in the race for Lee County Sheriff. Voters who were unhappy with the results of the Republican primary in May are organizing a grassroots effort to write in Jay Jones for Sheriff in November.

In a stunning upset former Marine Cam Hunt beat Sheriff Jay Jones by 307 votes in the Republican primary to win the nomination. Cam Hunt’s name will appear on the November ballot and there is no Democratic challenger. Hunt can still be challenged for the sheriff’s office by a write in candidate and supporters of Jay Jones are asking voters to do just that.

Former Lee County deputy Jack Carter shared on Facebook “Well it’s getting closer; we have one more chance to make things right! Get out and vote! Please write Jay Jones in on your ballot and be sure to color in spot next to his names. THIS WILL NOT AFFECT YOUR BALLOT AT ALL. It’s time for all Lee County to show their true support!” Supporters of the movement made campaign signs instructing voters to write in Jay Jones for Sheriff.

Sheriff Jones told NowGeorgia.com he was aware of the effort to restore him to his current position.  “If people wish to organize for a write in candidacy, I’m very humbled they would feel that way. People have been kind to me over the years. They would like that to continue” Sheriff Jones said.

Unlike the Republican primary when voters had to choose a partisan ballot, Democrats, Independent voters and Republicans alike will have their say in the race for Lee County Sheriff in November. Sheriff Jones called it the “purest form of democracy when everyone can vote in the general election. Those that didn’t have an option they can vote for who they think is the best choice.”

Cam Hunt responded to the former deputy’s Facebook post asking voters to join the write in campaign. “Interesting… I was under the impression Sheriff Jones wasn’t interested in a write-in campaign. When did that change?” Carter answered, “never said he was. It is just citizens hoping to make a change in the results. Nothing against you but you just don’t have the experience and love for this county like Sheriff Jones does.”

In a statement to NowGeorgia.com Cam Hunt clarified his response to the write in campaign for Jay Jones. “Every eligible voter in Lee County has the right to make their voice heard in November, and I respect that. The voters who participated in the Republican primary made their voices heard in May as well, and they selected me as the Republican nominee for Sheriff. Anyone is free to organize a write-in effort, and voters are free to support whomever they choose. I respect the process and the decision voters will make in November. My focus remains on the commitments I made to the people of Lee County and preparing for the responsibilities ahead.”

The saga that is the race for Lee County Sheriff began embroiled in controversy after Sheriff Jones fired then deputy Cam Hunt October 21, 2025, after Hunt stated his intentions to challenge Jones in the election. The contested race spilled back into the headlines after a Lee County deputy was shot in the line of duty by a Guatemalan national April 15, 2026.

A war of words erupted after Cam Hunt issued a stinging rebuke of the sheriff using the deputy’s shooting to highlight the sheriff’s immigration policy. “We need leadership that gets ahead of threats, not leadership that reacts after tragedy strikes,” Hunt wrote. Sheriff Jones responded on social media “Cam Hunt’s reckless accusations are not only wrong, they demonstrate his lack of experience and knowledge of operations within the Sheriff’s Office. He clearly doesn’t understand basic law enforcement operations and is using the tragedy of an officer-involved shooting to intentionally mislead voters with a cheap political stunt.”

Then just weeks prior to the Republican primary a video taken from inside the Lee County Detention Facility was leaked to the public which showed an inmate being tased as corrections workers laughed. The source of that leak is currently under investigation by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. Jay Jones subsequently lost the primary after serving nearly three decades as the Lee County Sheriff, but the controversy continues.

Less than a month after winning the primary Cam Hunt filed a formal ethics complaint with the Alabama Ethics Commission alleging Sheriff Jones used surveillance technology to track deputy’s vehicles visiting Hunt’s personal residence with the use of a “geofence” during the campaign for Sheriff.  Jones has flat denied those accusations and the ethics commission said complaints are not “public information” when contacted by NowGeorgia.com.

Voters will ultimately have the final say in the general election November 3, 2026.