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Laws governing local ballot measures in Mississippi

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Laws governing ballot measures in the U.S.
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Laws governing ballot measures in the U.S.

Changes to laws governing ballot measures

Types of ballot measures

Ballot measure policy topics

Select a state from the dropdown to learn more about laws governing ballot measures in that state.

This page describes the state constitutional provisions and statutes that govern local ballot measures in Mississippi. Jurisdictions often establish additional rules within the parameters of state law; those can be found in local ordinances and home-rule charters.

Explore the links below for more information:

Law

The Mississippi Constitution and Mississippi Code establish the rules that govern local ballot measures in the state.

General

The following outlines the general rules that govern local ballot measures in Mississippi, including both citizen-initiated measures and referred measures from local government bodies.

  • Election timing:
    • Local ballot measures may be held on the same date as any regular or general election.[1]
    • If a state or municipal law does not specify the time within the election shall be called for a local ballot measure, the governing authorities of the municipality can provide for a date through a resolution. The date of the election must be between 21 and 30 days after the resolution.[2]
  • Vote requirements: All local ballot measures in Mississippi require a simple majority vote to be approved.[3]
  • Required ballot measures: The Mississippi Code requires voter-approved ballot measures for all issues related to issuing bonds.[4]

Initiatives

The following outlines the general rules that govern local citizen-initiated ballot measures in Mississippi.

  • Authority: § 21-17-11 of the Mississippi Code grants voters the authority to propose charter amendments for municipalities.[3]
  • Signatures: All petitions must be signed by at least 20% of the qualified electors of the municipality.[3]
  • Deadline: There are no statewide deadlines for local ballot initiatives. Specific deadlines are found in local charters and ordinances.

Referrals

The following outlines the general rules that govern local referred ballot measures in Mississippi.

  • Authority: § 21-9-67 of the Mississippi Code mandates local legislative bodies to refer measures to the ballot whenever a state statute requires it for an ordinance or resolution.[5]
  • Deadline: Local legislative bodies must submit measures for voter approval between 30 to 60 days from making the order.[5]

Laws governing local ballot measures in the U.S.

Laws governing local ballot measures in the United States

As state laws govern ballot measures, the rules are different from state to state. Click on a state below to explore that state's laws on local ballot measures.

http://ballotpedia.org/Laws_governing_local_ballot_measures_in_STATE

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Mississippi Code, "Title 23, Chapter 15, § 23-15-375," accessed December 18, 2025
  2. ↑ Mississippi Code, "Title 23, Chapter 15, § 23-15-859," accessed December 18, 2025
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Mississippi Code, "Title 21, Chapter 17, § 21-17-11," accessed December 18, 2025
  4. ↑ Mississippi Code, "Title 21, Chapter 27, § 21-27-43," accessed December 18, 2025
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Mississippi Code, "Title 21, Chapter 9, § 21-9-67," accessed December 18, 2025
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