Mississippi lawmakers will begin traveling the state this week to meet with members of the public during a month’s worth of hearings ahead of an expected redrawing of several voter maps.
A joint committee created by Republicans Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Jason White will begin public hearings Tuesday, Aug. 18, on the campus of Itawamba Community College before making about one stop a week until Sept. 24.
Hosemann has said that lawmakers will ultimately consider a reconfiguration of the congressional, state legislative, and state Supreme Court district maps following a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that said race cannot be a predominant factor when drawing voter maps. But first, according to him, they want input from the people it may affect.
“Redistricting affects every Mississippian, from how you are represented in the state Legislature and on the Mississippi Supreme Court to how you are represented in Washington, D.C.,” Hosemann said in a statement. “These public hearings ensure everyone has an opportunity to have their voice heard. I am grateful to the committee for its work and commitment to listening to the people of Mississippi throughout this importance process.”
Public hearings on redistricting are as follows:
- Aug. 18 at 6 p.m.: Itawamba Community College, Belden Conference Center (3200 Adams Farm Rd. in Belden)
- Aug. 27 at 6 p.m.: Northwest Mississippi Community College, Harraway Center (152 Alumni Dr. in Senatobia)
- Sept. 1 at 6 p.m.: Delta State University, Bologna Performing Arts Center (1003 West Sunflower Rd. in Cleveland)
- Sept. 8 at 6 p.m.: Alcorn State University, Natchez campus, MBA Building Auditorium (15 Campus Dr. in Natchez)
- Sept. 10 at 6 p.m.: Meridian Community College, McCain Theater (910 Highway 19 North in Meridian)
- Sept. 17 at 6 p.m.: University of Southern Mississippi, Mannoni Performing Arts Center (3057 Hardy St. in Hattiesburg)
- Sept. 22 at 6 p.m.: Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Hospitality & Resort Management Center (420 DeBuys Rd. in Biloxi)
- Sept. 24 at 6 p.m.: Mississippi State Capitol (400 High St. in Jackson)
This summer, both Hosemann and White selected specific lawmakers they want leading the redistricting conversation. Committees created by each, and the joint committee, are mostly made up of Republicans but do include some Democratic representation.
The Joint Committee on Reapportionment and Redistricting is chaired by Sens. Jeremy England (R-Vancleave) and Lane Taylor (R-Philadelphia), along with Reps. Noah Sanford (R-Collins) and Mark Tullos (R-Raleigh).
Other senators who make up the committee, which is evenly divided with representation from the state’s four congressional districts, are Sens. Daniel Sparks (R-Belmont), Angela Turner-Ford (D-West Point), Briggs Hopson (R-Vicksburg), Albert Butler (D-Port Gibson), Josh Harkins (R-Flowood), Dean Kirby (R-Pearl), Brice Wiggins (R-Pascagoula), and Mike Thompson (R-Gulfport).
House representation on the committee includes Reps. Donnie Bell (R-Fulton), Rodney Hall (R-Southaven), Kevin Horan (R-Grenada), Tracy Rosebud (D-Tutwiler), Scott Bounds (R-Philadelphia), Carl Mickens (D-Brooksville), Jay McKnight (R-Gulfport), and Missy McGee (R-Hattiesburg).
Once the public hearings conclude, a special session will be called to redistrict before the qualifying period for legislative races opens in January 2027, several lawmakers have told SuperTalk Mississippi News.
More redistricting coverage:
- Secretary of state begins preparing for possible return to 2022 legislative maps
- GOP chair says timing limits congressional redistricting push ahead of midterms but sees future gains
- House minority leader calls GOP redistricting push ‘strange’ given 2022 map drawing
- Republicans split over potential redistricting that could impact U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson
