The Mississippi initiative law affords voters an avenue for addressing important constitutional issues which the State Legislature does not.

After registering the initiative with the Secretary of State’s Office, the official ballot title and summary are prepared by the Mississippi Attorney General. Initiatives are only valid for one year, during which time a petition must be circulated to gather signatures to place the measure on the next statewide General Election ballot. According to State law, as interpreted by the Mississippi Supreme Court, for an initiative measure to be placed on the ballot, a minimum of 106,190 certified signatures must be gathered from the congressional district as they exist at the time a petition is presented for approval. No more than twenty percent of signatures of qualified electors may come from a single congressional district.  

Not only must an initiative receive a majority of the total votes cast for that particular initiative, it must also receive more than 40% of the total votes cast in that election.

As always, if we may be of any assistance, we encourage you to contact our Elections Hotline at 1-800-829-6786.