Jackson Parish voters overwhelmingly agree that Brent Barnett deserves to continue being the Sheriff of Jackson Parish for four more years. The message delivered in the June 27th, 2026, runoff election was loud and clear as Barnett received 3,156 votes (72%) compared to just 1,202 (28%) for Israel Smith, giving Barnett a landslide vote of confidence to be the 72nd Sheriff in the history of Jackson Parish.

Both had earned the right to advance to the runoff following the May primary election, in which Barnett received 2,250 votes (46.83%), and Smith received 852 votes (17.73%) of the 4,805 votes cast. Only 4,358 of the 9,673 (45%) registered voters in the 31 precincts in Jackson Parish cast ballots, but Barnett showed the greatest gain by improving his numbers. While the number of voters was down by 447 this time around, Barnett saw the biggest improvement, getting 906 more votes compared to Smith’s 350.

In other matters, Jackson Parish voters narrowly decided against renewing a pair of tax renewal propositions. The 5.98 mills proposed by Consolidated School District #1 for the next 10 years were voted down by a 2,109 – 1,975 margin (52%-48%), and the 5.07 mills for the Jackson Parish Recreation District fell short by a 53%-47% margin with 2,154 voting against and 1,929 voting for the renewal proposition that wasn’t due to take effect until 2028.

In matters of state and national interests, Jackson Parish voters aligned with the majority of others in the state, opting for Julia Letlow and “Jamie” Davis in the closed primary elections for the United States Senate seat, as the Republican and Democratic choices for the general election in November. Letlow outpolled fellow runoff candidate for the Republican nomination by a 57%-43% margin, while Davis crushed Gary Crockett by an 80%-20% margin in the Democratic race.

Final Results of June 26, 2026 Election
(Jackson Parish)