The lawsuit filed against the state of Mississippi alleges that lawmakers drew the legislative district maps in such a way that unlawfully dilutes the strength of Black voters. Lawmakers adopted these maps at the start of the 2022 legislative session. And while maps typically are subject to months of debate, delayed census data only allowed for a few weeks of discussions before a strict deadline. Joshua Tom, an Attorney with the ACLU, claims the maps violate the voting rights act of 1965, and don't reflect the state's demographics.
“It became apparent to us that these maps diluted the voting strength of Black voters in Mississippi,” says Tom. “Despite having the largest Black population by percentage of any state, these maps did not give Black voters in Mississippi fair representation.”
The ACLU, along with other civil rights groups, did present alternate voting lines prior to the current map’s adoption. Tom says some major population shifts were reported in the most recent census data, but alleges the redistricting process went too far in consolidating votes of the Black electorate. He says the state needs to divide voting power equally across racial lines.
Tom says “The first part is to have a more transparent system for drawing the senate and house maps every ten years and inviting and considering more public input. That should be standard practice. And the fact that it didn’t happen in Mississippi is part of the problem.”
Federal judges have intervened twice in Mississippi's redistricting process since the early 2000s when lawmakers could not agree on redistricting plans. Both times, judges put forward plans that adhered to strict guidelines on community representation.
