Mississippi Officials Say Redrawing Legislative Districts Before November Election Impossible

Mississippi State Officials Face Tight Deadlines in Redrawing Legislative Districts

In a recent court filing, state officials in Mississippi have stated that it is impossible to redraw some legislative districts in time for the upcoming November election due to tight deadlines for ballot preparation. The response comes after a ruling by three federal judges ordering the Mississippi House and Senate to reconfigure certain districts that were found to dilute the power of Black voters in the state.

The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP and several Black residents, with the judges calling for new districts to be drawn before the next regular legislative session in January. However, the tight timeline poses a challenge as it would require special elections to fill seats for the remainder of the four-year term.

Election Commission attorneys emphasized that Governor Tate Reeves would need to call legislators into a special session and new districts would need to be adopted by August 2 to meet other deadlines for special elections to be held concurrently with the November general election for federal offices and state judicial seats.

The judges specifically ordered the creation of majority-Black Senate districts in DeSoto County and Hattiesburg, as well as a new majority-Black House district in Chickasaw and Monroe counties. While the order does not add additional districts, it necessitates adjustments to existing boundaries, a task deemed unachievable by the August deadline.

The issue of redistricting is not unique to Mississippi, as lawsuits in various states have challenged the composition of legislative districts following the 2020 census. The push for fair representation and equal voice in government remains a focal point in the ongoing debate surrounding redistricting efforts.