Redistricting likely headed for courts

Columns

Discussion

August 25, 2010

By Sid Salter The Meridian Star The Meridian Star Wed Aug 25, 2010, 06:00 AM CDT

MERIDIAN —     Back in 1990, Mississippi lawmakers could not reach consensus on drawing new state legislative districts because of concerns over the House speaker's election that would follow the 1991 general election and the racial makeup of legislative districts.

   The result? The Legislature was forced to run in their old legislative districts in the 1991 general election and again in new legislative districts in a 1992 special election.

   The 2010 Legislature would love to avoid a repeat of that maddening bit of history. In economic hard times - with state government finances reeling from revenue shortfalls and suffering under deep budget cuts - lawmakers really don't want to have to face the voters twice in back-to-back elections.

   The general anti-incumbent mood that seems to grip the country right now and voter anger over what they consider wasteful spending makes that prospect less than desirable for state legislative incumbents.

   To that end, legislative leaders guiding the state's congressional and legislative redistricting efforts want desperately to avoid having federal judges eventually take over the process. That can only happen if the majority of both the state House and state Senate can agree on a redistricting plan.

   Leading that daunting task are House Elections Committee Chairman Tommy Reynolds, D-Water Valley, and Senate Elections Committee Chairman Terry C. Burton, R-Newton. Reynolds has one of the keenest legislative backgrounds on state election law and the redistricting process and Burton is an able, veteran senator who is trusted and respected.

   One positive note is that congressional redistricting isn't the bombshell it was after the 2000 Census. Mississippi isn't projected to be losing a congressional seat as it did in 2000, so redrawing the state's congressional lines should be a matter of tweaking the existing lines.

   But remapping state legislative district lines aren't going to be that simple. Why? Because of intense population growth, heavily Republican DeSoto County is set to gain two state representatives and one state senator. Other GOP enclaves like Madison and Rankin counties made substantial population gains as well.

   The Mississippi Delta suffered substantial population decreases. Hinds County lost some 3,000 residents. Harrison and Hancock counties on the Gulf Coast saw losses as well.

   What the numbers appear to suggest is that while the number of black majority legislative districts should remain static, the redrawing of the districts to accommodate urban and suburban growth will pit members of the Black Caucus and rural white lawmakers against each other.

   That apparent political reality sets up potential partisan havoc in a House speaker's race that will be required after the 2011 elections.

   What does that mean? It means that despite the very best efforts of Reynolds and Burton and the general agreement among legislators in both houses from both parties that nobody wants to face the voters twice in back-to-back elections, that outcome may well prove politically unavoidable.

   The Voting Rights Act of 1965 extended voting rights to minority groups. The key sections included Section 4 - providing for automatic coverage of jurisdictions with low minority voter participation - and Section 5, which required Justice Department preclearance of all voting law changes, prescribed federal examiners to guarantee the right to vote and federal monitors to observe elections.

   Mississippi elections have been inextricably intertwined in Justice Department preclearance and monitoring for more than 45 years and those safeguards remain today.

   Contact Sid Salter at (601) 961-7084 or e-mail ssalter@clarionledger.com. Visit his blog at clarionledger.com. His talk radio show, On Deadline with Sid Salter, is broadcast on the SuperTalk Mississippi network.

Text Only

Columns

Spring revival time
February 10, 2012
European travel tips
If there is a condom machine in the restaurant’s restroom, you have made a mistake in your choice of dining establishment.
That is one of my rules for dining in Europe. Unfortunately, if you are already in the restroom, it’s probably too late.

February 8, 2012
Military cuts and BRAC to challenge leaders
February 6, 2012
Let ms.gov know what's going on
The state's newly relaunched web portal, www.ms.gov, is a great idea. According to a news release this is the first major update for the site in more than a decade.

February 5, 2012
Today’s need — $3,893.76
Today’s need concerns eleven circumstances. The first need is a couple in their forties working all the hours they can. The husband’s paycheck has been running low because he has not been receiving the hours at work he was accustomed to. With $274.38 we can keep their utilities form being cut off.

February 4, 2012
Killer, the cat ...
February 3, 2012
Counsel fight remains a political cold war
The ongoing legislative battle over the so-called “outside counsel” or contingency fee law remains a political cold war between the state’s trial lawyers and the state’s business and medical interests – and it’s a story that has two sides.

February 1, 2012
Travel technology
After leaving the Trapani Salt Flats on the western coast of Sicily on a late November afternoon, I maneuvered our vehicle down yet another remote, unmarked dirt road and passed dozens of vacant houses. No one was on the streets. It had been 10 minutes since we had seen another car. Sunlight was at a minimum. We had been warned several times about remote areas of Sicily.

February 1, 2012
Restoration spurs renewal in East Miss.
Choctaw tribal chief Phyliss Anderson restored and reopened Phillip M’s at the Pearl River Resort last week. She also signaled her intent to renew the economic policies so successfully implemented by the restaurant’s namesake.
"Under the visionary leadership of our late Chief Phillip Martin, our tribe realized great progress and today I am proud to honor his legacy with the re-opening of Phillip M's," said Anderson, flanked by members of Martin's family.

January 30, 2012
Today’s need — $2,393.77
1 JOHN 3:17 - “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has not pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” Praise belongs to God as every need in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 has been met. Thanks to everyone who has generously given over the years to change lives physically, financially, and spiritually. Each week I stand in awe of God as I witness God’s provision in our lives.

Today’s need concerns six circumstances. The first need is a lady in her fifties just released from the hospital. Her sister she was living with died a few months ago. She is trying as hard as she can to pay the mortgage to keep her sister’s house. She has been able to maintain all her expenses so far but does not have money for her prescriptions. These prescriptions are necessary to keep her physically well. With $300.00 we can provide her much needed medications.

January 29, 2012
More Columns Headlines

Columns

Search Results

Discussion

Redistricting likely headed for courts

Site Map

Contact Us