A new plan by the NAACP has been developed for how Mississippi’s joint redistricting committee can redraw the state’s four congressional districts. Results from the 2020 census were delayed because of the coronavirus, and now the joint redistricting committee has a limited timeline to finalize district boundaries before the 2022 legislative session.
NAACP Executive Director Corey Wiggins says this plan can help lawmakers set the new boundaries.
“So now we’re at the point in time where we can actually have the data to develop districts and develop lines. And since we now have this data, community groups, civil rights organizations like ours can come up and develop maps and offer considerations I think to the committee.”
In 2011, federal judges intervened during the reapportionment process after lawmakers could not agree on a map before the filing deadline. Attorney Carroll Rhodes says the court created a system that equally distributed the population. He says this new plan follows guidelines established by the court and keeps the population requirements within a margin of one person.
“And we’re submitting that to the legislature hoping they will consider the NAACP plan and adopt. Rather than facing litigation, we want to avoid litigation this time around this redistricting cycle. So that’s why we developed this plan that’s better than the court-drawn plan.”
The Mississippi legislature must have district plans finalized before the primary elections next year.
