The deadline to qualify for Mississippi’s 2007 elections is 5 p.m. Thursday. Party primaries are Aug. 7, and the general election is Nov. 6. On the ballots:

— All eight statewide positions: Governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, insurance commissioner and agriculture commissioner.

— Six regional offices: transportation commissioners and public service commissioners in the northern, central and southern districts.

— All 52 seats in the state Senate and all 122 in the state House.

— District attorneys.

— A host of county offices, including supervisors’ positions and circuit and chancery clerks.

Democrats and Republicans file qualifying papers with the state party offices. Each candidate fills out an application and pays a fee to the party.

Independents running for any office file their papers at the secretary of state’s office. To run for a statewide office, an independent candidate needs signatures of 1,000 registered voters. To run for public service commissioner or transportation commissioner, an independent needs 300 signatures. To run for state Senate or state House, an independent needs 50 signatures.