DESOTO COUNTY — Roughly 50 people voiced their opinions during the second of several public hearings across Mississippi on potential mid-decade DeSoto County redistricting, with a majority of those who took a clear stance expressing support for a “race-neutral” approach to drawing voting district boundaries.
The Aug. 27 hearing at Northwest Mississippi Community College was convened by the Joint Committee on Redistricting and Reapportionment, which is gathering public input in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Callais decision earlier this summer. The ruling determined racial gerrymandering as practiced under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to be unconstitutional, raising the evidentiary bar for proving a Voting Rights Act violation to require proof of actual discriminatory intent.
Committee chairman State Sen. Dean Kirby (R) told attendees the committee “has the responsibility of drawing redistricting plans for both the State Senate and the House as well as Congress,” and that lawmakers could act in a special session later this year before legislative qualifying begins Jan. 2.
56% back race-neutral approach
Of those who stated a clear opinion, about 56% supported redrawing the maps using race-neutral methods, while about 44% argued the maps should not be changed before the next Census in 2030.
State Rep. Kimberly Remak (R) told the committee that HB 1544 and SB 2768 — which added two new judgeships with countywide jurisdiction in DeSoto County — created racially segregated voting precincts, with only about 14% of the county’s population voting for the seats.
“That creates two classes of voters in the same county,” Remak said. “Approximately 86% of DeSoto County voters are effectively shut out of selecting a Place 4 Circuit judge and a Place 3 Chancellor, even though those judges preside over the same county.”
DeSoto County District 2 Supervisor Mark Gardner backed a race-neutral approach, recalling a lawsuit filed against the county after the Board of Supervisors denied a request for a minority-majority district. “Millions of taxpayer dollars later, federal Judge Glenn Davidson agreed with us that that request was in fact unconstitutional,” Gardner said.
Opponents urge waiting until 2030
Opponents questioned the rush to redraw lines years early. “Any diminishment of black political power is discriminatory,” said Tunica County resident Melvin Young. “Unless there is a clear and compelling legal requirement to change a particular district, Mississippi should preserve its existing districts and conduct the next regular statewide redistricting process following the 2030 United States Census.”
State Rep. John Faulkner (D) questioned who is driving the effort: “What problem are we solving and why are the taxpayers being asked to solve a problem they never asked us to address in the first place?”
Three more hearings remain: Sept. 17 at the University of Southern Mississippi, Sept. 22 at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Hospitality and Resort Management Center, and Oct. 1 at the Mississippi State Capitol. All begin at 6 p.m. and are livestreamed for public viewing.
With reporting by Jeremy Pittari, Magnolia Tribune.
