The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Louisiana v. Callais decision gutted the federal Voting Rights Act protection for minority voters in redistricting, prompting some states, at the urging of the Trump administration, to try to redraw voting lines for GOP advantage ahead of the November midterm elections.
Mississippi had been ordered by a federal judge to redraw its state Supreme Court districts to allow Black voters adequate representation. But Gov. Tate Reeves canceled a special legislative session set for this week to address the court districts after a federal appeals court set aside the judge’s order.
Reeves and other state Republican leaders say they want Mississippi to gerrymander its congressional voting districts to try to prevent reelection of the state’s lone Democrat, longtime U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, also the state’s only Black member of Congress. But it appears doubtful Reeves will try to get the Legislature to do so before the midterms, as Mississippi has already held its primaries.
The governor said he does want lawmakers to redraw congressional, judicial and state legislative districts before the 2027 statewide elections.
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about the political issue sure to embroil Mississippi, the South and the nation for years to come.
READ MORE: Trump pushes Mississippi to redraw congressional districts after Supreme Court ruling. But legal and political hurdles loom
What is redistricting?
Redistricting is the process for a lawmaking body, such as the Mississippi Legislature or a local city council, to redraw district boundaries to determine which voters belong in a district.
Redistricting normally occurs after the decennial census. The purpose of redistricting is to ensure equal representation in each district. The mandate for legislative seats is to have the near identical number of people in each district to ensure the one-person, one-vote principle. More leeway is allowed in judicial districts.
While lawmakers typically redraw the lines to account for population shifts, racial and political gerrymandering has long been a practice. Mississippi, with its long history of Jim Crow voter suppression, has often faced litigation and federal court intervention with its redistricting.
People in a district vote to determine who represents them, but the process of determining which voters belong in districts is the subject of much debate and controversy.
What could redistricting impact?
Redistricting can impact everyone, but minority voters, especially Black voters, are usually the most impacted by redistricting in the Deep South.
The point of voting districts is to elect representatives who understand the needs of that area, such as the Mississippi Gulf Coast or the Mississippi Delta. But legislators often draw district lines to protect incumbent politicians or give their political party an advantage. In Mississippi, the state with the largest percentage Black population, partisanship and race are intertwined.
Despite Black people making up close to 40% of the population in Mississippi, Black representation in government has not reflected that, particularly in congressional and statewide offices.
Before the first voter casts a ballot, politicians have already influenced the outcome by determining who the voters are.
PODCAST: Rep. Summers: With U.S. Supreme Court likely to dismantle Voting Rights Act, Mississippi lawmakers push for state version
What is the Voting Rights Act, and how does it relate to redistricting?
Congress passed the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution in the 19th Century. These amendments were enacted to abolish slavery and to try to ensure equality for formerly enslaved people. But as formerly enslaved people began to gain voting power, white supremacists enacted Jim Crow laws in the Deep South that stripped voting rights and political power from Black people.
These laws included requiring Black citizens to pay poll taxes and pass literacy tests or answer impossible questions in order to vote. White supremacists also used violence and intimidation to prevent Black people from voting.
After years of protests and pressure, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to try to prohibit such voter intimidation. After its passage, Black people began registering to vote in large numbers. But to prevent Black voters from wielding any real influence, state lawmakers in Mississippi and across the South began to redraw state legislative and congressional districts in ways that prevented Black voters from being able to elect Black candidates.
Lawmakers did this by “cracking” majority-Black areas and diluting the vote and placing them in majority-white districts. It wasn’t until 1979 that a significant number of Black people were elected to the Mississippi Legislature, and 1986 when Mississippi elected its first Black person, Mike Espy, to Congress.
Because white legislators intentionally tried to prevent Black voters from electing candidates of their choice, federal courts interpreted the Voting Rights Act to require states to draw districts in a way that gives Black voters fair representation. The recent U.S. Supreme Court Callais decision stops the practice of race being a factor in drawing districts.
READ MORE: State lawmakers push for protections as Supreme Court considers dismantling Voting Rights Act
What does this mean for me as a Mississippian?
How legislators redraw districts goes to the heart of a healthy democracy.
If voters believe they have fair, representative districts, they are more likely to participate in the political process. If lawmakers draw politically or racially gerrymandered districts, it tends to create voter apathy.
What communities are included in certain districts is also important. For example, if someone who lives in Jackson represents a district that includes the Gulf Coast, that representative may not advocate for the needs of the Gulf Coast as much as they would for the Jackson metro area.
Who draws districts?
Lawmaking bodies draw districts.
The Mississippi Legislature draws congressional, state legislative and judicial districts. Local boards of supervisors draw county districts and local city councils or boards of aldermen draw municipal districts.
What’s the difference between congressional districts and judicial districts?
Congressional districts determine who elects members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Mississippi is currently represented by three white Republicans and one Black Democrat.
Each state has two senators elected by a statewide vote.
Judicial districts determine who represents voters in the state’s judiciary. The highest court in Mississippi is the state Supreme Court.
What redistricting is being considered in Mississippi?
Lawmakers are considering redrawing congressional, state legislative and the state Supreme Court districts.
Gov. Reeves cancelled a special legislative session that had been planned to redraw state Supreme Court districts, but House Speaker Jason White and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann recently announced the creation of committees to study redistricting over the summer and make recommendations to lawmakers. Since both the House and Senate are studying redistricting, it appears likely that lawmakers will debate redistricting measures during the 2027 session that begins in January.
Many Republican politicians in Mississippi are calling for the state to move more quickly, to nullify the results of the state’s congressional midterm primaries, and gerrymander the districts to try to provide a GOP sweep in the November general elections for Congress. Trump has been pressuring states, including Mississippi to do so.
Reeves cast doubt on that happening in Mississippi before November since the primaries have already been held — it would be unprecedented for lawmakers to overturn duly held elections — and he said the move could have unintended detrimental consequences for Republicans nationwide. But he left the door open and said he is working closely with the Trump administration.
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