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Redistricting in Mississippi ahead of the 2026 elections

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Redistricting
State legislative and congressional redistricting after the 2020 census
General information
State-by-state redistricting procedures • Majority-minority districts • Gerrymandering
The 2020 cycle
United States census, 2020 • Congressional apportionment • Redistricting committees • Deadlines • 2022 House elections with multiple incumbents • New U.S.House districts created after apportionment • Congressional maps • State legislative maps • Lawsuits • Status of redistricting after the 2020 census
Redrawn maps
Redistricting before 2024 elections • Redistricting before 2026 elections
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BP-Initials-UPDATED.png Redistricting is the process of enacting new district boundaries for elected offices, particularly for offices in the U.S. House of Representatives and state legislatures. This article covers redistricting activity in Mississippi after the 2024 elections and before the 2026 elections.


Mississippi's four United States representatives and 174 state legislators are all elected from political divisions called districts. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. Federal law stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.

Congressional districts
Litigation over congressional redistricting in Mississippi after the 2020 census has concluded.

Gov. Tate Reeves (R) signed the state's congressional redistricting plan—House Bill 384—on January 24, 2022. The state House of Representatives approved the plan, 75-44, on January 6, 2022, with 73 Republicans, one Democrat, and one independent voting in favor and 41 Democrats, two Republicans, and one independent voting against. The state Senate approved the new congressional map, 33-18, on January 12, 2022, with all votes in favor by Republicans and 16 Democrats and two Republicans voting against.[1] The Mississippi Joint Legislative Committee on Redistricting approved the proposal on December 15, 2021.[2]

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Legislative districts
Litigation over state legislative redistricting in Mississippi after the 2020 census is ongoing.

On December 20, 2022, the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP and a group of voters filed a lawsuit alleging that the state legislative maps drawn after the 2020 census violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting power of the state's Black voters.[3] A three-judge district court panel ruled in July 2024 that the House and Senate maps did not contain enough majority-Black districts and ordered the state to redraw the maps.[4] The legislature passed new House and Senate maps on March 5, 2025, and a hearing was scheduled for April 8, 2025.[5] A three-judge panel approved revised maps from the Mississippi Election Commission on May 7, 2025, and special elections in the affected districts were scheduled for November 4, 2025.[6] The state filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court on July 3, 2025, which the state said would not affect the special elections.[7]

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For a complete overview of redistricting in Mississippi after the 2020 census, click here.

Summary

See also: Redistricting in Mississippi after the 2020 census

This section lists major events in the post-2020 census redistricting cycle in reverse chronological order. Major events include the release of apportionment data, the release of census population data, the introduction of formal map proposals, the enactment of new maps, and noteworthy court challenges. Click the dates below for additional information.

  • July 3, 2025: The state filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court of part of a May 7, 2025, federal panel decision that led to redrawn state legislative districts.[7]
  • May 7, 2025: A three-judge panel approved revised maps from the Mississippi Election Commission on May 7, 2025, and special elections in the affected districts were scheduled for November 4, 2025.[8]
  • April 8, 2025: Plaintiffs submitted partial objections to the proposed legislative maps and a hearing was scheduled for April 8, 2025.[9]
  • March 5, 2025: The legislature approved new House and Senate maps.[4]


Court challenges

See also: Redistricting lawsuits in the 2020 redistricting cycle

Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP, et al. v. State Board of Election Commissioners, et al.

Lawsuit filed challenging legislative districts

On December 20, 2022, the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP and five Mississippi voters filed a lawsuit in federal district court challenging the state's legislative district boundaries.[11] The suit argues that the boundaries the legislature enacted in March 2022 violate the 1965 Voting Rights Act and "illegally dilute the voting strength of Black Mississippians and improperly use voters’ race to achieve partisan goals and protect incumbent politicians."[11] The suit also argues that "Mississippi’s Black population could support at least four additional Black-majority Senate districts and at least three additional Black-majority House districts in several areas across the State, where Black voters, despite their numbers, and despite voting cohesively, have previously been unable to elect candidates of their choice, in large part due to the prevalence of racially polarized voting."[11] The plaintiffs asked the court to block the use of the adopted legislative district boundaries in the state's 2023 elections and require Mississippi to enact a new legislative map.

On July 2, 2024, the court ordered the state to create two new majority-Black Senate districts and one new majority-Black House district by the end of the 2025 regular session.[12] On April 15, 2025, the court ruled that the remedial state Senate maps must be redrawn again in the DeSoto County region, giving the State Board of Election Commissioners one week to submit a new map.[13] The panel approved revised maps from the Mississippi Election Commission on May 7, 2025, and special elections in the affected districts were scheduled for November 4, 2025.[14]

For more information about redistricting lawsuits in Mississippi, click here.

Enacted maps

Enacted congressional district maps

See also: Congressional district maps implemented after the 2020 census

Gov. Tate Reeves (R) signed the state's congressional redistricting plan—House Bill 384—on January 24, 2022. The state House of Representatives approved the plan, 75-44, on January 6, 2022, with 73 Republicans, one Democrat, and one independent voting in favor and 41 Democrats, two Republicans, and one independent voting against. The state Senate approved the new congressional map, 33-18, on January 12, 2022, with all votes in favor by Republicans and 16 Democrats and two Republicans voting against.[15] The Mississippi Joint Legislative Committee on Redistricting approved the proposal on December 15, 2021.[16]

After the state Senate approved the plan, Lee Sanderlin wrote in the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, “The bill preserves the current balance of congressional power in Mississippi, keeping three seats for Republicans and one for lone Democrat Bennie Thompson, D-Bolton.”[17] Sanderlin also wrote, "This is the first time since the 1965 passage of the Voting Rights Act passed Mississippi's redistricting will go on without federal oversight after a 2013 Supreme Court decision ended the requirement certain states get federal approval for redistricting changes. A federal judge drew the congressional districts in 2002 because legislators could not agree on a map, and again in 2011 because legislators felt they didn't have enough time to do it during session."[17]

Enacted state legislative district maps

See also: State legislative district maps implemented after the 2020 census

On July 3, 2025, the state filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court of part of a May 7, 2025, federal three-judge panel decision that led to redrawn districts and special elections. The state said the appeal would not affect the special elections.[18]

A legal challenge to the state legislative maps had resulted in a three-judge panel ordering the state to add two new majority-Black Senate districts and one new majority-Black House district by the end of the 2025 legislative session.[19] The legislature approved the new maps on March 5, 2025.[20] On April 15, 2025, a three-judge panel ordered the legislature to redraw the Senate district in DeSoto County and gave the State Board of Election Commissioners seven days to submit a new map.[21] The panel approved revised maps from the Mississippi Election Commission on May 7, 2025, and special elections in the affected districts were scheduled for November 4, 2025.[22]

Mississippi enacted new state legislative district boundaries on March 31, 2022, when both legislative chambers approved district maps for the other chamber.[23] Legislative redistricting in Mississippi is done via a joint resolution and did not require Gov. Tate Reeves' (R) approval.[23] Emily Wagster Pettus of the Associated Press wrote that "Republican legislative leaders said the redistricting plans are likely to maintain their party's majority in each chamber."[24] Pettus also wrote that "Senate President Pro Tempore Dean Kirby of Pearl said the Senate redistricting plan keeps the same number of Republican-leaning and Democratic-leaning districts as now."[24]

Redistricting of the state Senate was approved by the Senate on March 29, 2022, by a vote of 45-7, with 31 Republicans and 14 Democrats in favor and five Republicans and two Democrats voting against.[25] The state House approved the Senate's district boundaries on March 31, 2022, by a vote of 68-49. Sixty-two Republicans, three Democrats, and three independents voted in favor and 35 Democrats and 14 Republicans voted against.[26]

New district boundaries for the Mississippi House of Representatives were approved by the House on March 29, 2022, by an 81-38 vote. Seventy-three Republicans, five Democrats, and three independents voted to enact the new map and 36 Democrats and two Republicans voted against it.[27] The Mississippi Senate approved the House map—41 to 8—on March 31, 2022, with 34 Republicans and seven Democrats voting in favor and all eight votes against by Democrats.[28]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Mississippi Legislature, 2022 Regular Session, "House Bill 384," accessed January 24, 2022
  2. ↑ Clarion Ledger, "Redistricting committee finalizes Mississippi congressional map proposal, expanding 2nd District," December 15, 2021
  3. ↑ In the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi Northern Division, "Case 3:22-cv-00734-DPJ-FKB Document 1," December 20, 2022
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Associated Press, "New Mississippi legislative maps head to court for approval despite DeSoto lawmakers’ objections," March 6, 2025
  5. ↑ Democracy Docket, "Mississippi Legislative Redistricting Challenge," accessed March 31, 2025
  6. ↑ Mississippi Today, "Federal court approves Mississippi legislative redistricting. Special elections will proceed," May 9, 2025
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Clarion Ledger, "Mississippi to appeal legislative redistricting case to US Supreme Court," July 3, 2025
  8. ↑ Mississippi Today, "Federal court approves Mississippi legislative redistricting. Special elections will proceed," May 9, 2025
  9. ↑ Democracy Docket, "Mississippi Legislative Redistricting Challenge," accessed March 31, 2025
  10. ↑ United States District Court Southern District of Mississippi Northern Division, "Case 3:22-cv-00734-DPJ-HSO-LHS Document 224," July 2, 2024
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 The American Redistricting Project, "Miss. State Conf. of the NAACP v. State Bd. of Elec. Commrs.," accessed December 22, 2022
  12. ↑ Associated Press, "Mississippi can wait to reset legislative districts that dilute Black voting strength, judges say," July 18, 2024
  13. ↑ Clarion Ledger, "Desoto County redistricting: MS election officials submit latest proposal. What to know," April 24, 2025
  14. ↑ Mississippi Today, "Federal court approves Mississippi legislative redistricting. Special elections will proceed," May 9, 2025
  15. ↑ Mississippi Legislature, 2022 Regular Session, "House Bill 384," accessed January 24, 2022
  16. ↑ Clarion Ledger, "Redistricting committee finalizes Mississippi congressional map proposal, expanding 2nd District," December 15, 2021
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Mississippi redistricting: Senate follows House, approves expanded 2nd District January 12, 2022
  18. ↑ Magnolia Tribune, "Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court coming to address “very narrow, legal issue” in court-ordered legislative redistricting," July 3, 2025
  19. ↑ Associated Press, "Mississippi can wait to reset legislative districts that dilute Black voting strength, judges say," July 18, 2024
  20. ↑ Associated Press, "New Mississippi legislative maps head to court for approval despite DeSoto lawmakers’ objections," March 6, 2025
  21. ↑ DeSoto Times-Tribune, "Judges order new redistricting map for DeSoto," April 16, 2025
  22. ↑ Mississippi Today, "Federal court approves Mississippi legislative redistricting. Special elections will proceed," May 9, 2025
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Jackson Free Press, "Mississippi House and Senate OK Each Other's Redistricting," April 1, 2022
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Jackson Free Press, "Mississippi House, Senate Pass Separate Redistricting Plans," March 30, 2022
  25. ↑ ‘’Mississippi legislature’’, “Joint Resolution 202-History of Actions, 03/29 (S) Adopted," accessed April 7, 2022
  26. ↑ ‘’Mississippi legislature’’, “Joint Resolution 202-History of Actions, 03/31 (H) Adopted," accessed April 7, 2022
  27. ↑ ‘’Mississippi legislature’’, “Joint Resolution 1-History of Actions, 03/29 (H) Adopted As Amended," accessed April 7, 2022
  28. ↑ ‘’Mississippi legislature’’, “Joint Resolution 1-History of Actions, 03/31 (S) Adopted," accessed April 7, 2022
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