After receiving numerous questions regarding the special election for Senate District 34, I would like to provide clarity on the current state of redistricting in Mississippi. What has transpired is really quite simple.
The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Louisiana v. Callais sent Mississippi's pending redistricting case back to the lower court to start over. Rightfully so, Callais ruled racial gerrymandering unconstitutional, which directly affected the maps the Legislature was forced to redraw in 2025 due to the U.S. District Court’s original ruling in NAACP vs. The State Board of Election Commissioners (SBEC). The Supreme Court vacated the District Court's ruling regarding the 2025 maps, and since redistricting drawn with the intent to discriminate based on race violates Section 2 of the NVRA, the 2025 legislative maps are no longer legal.
As Mississippi’s Chief Elections Officer and an attorney sworn to uphold the law, it is my duty to ensure we follow the law. Running an election on race-based maps is illegal under Callais. Given the time constraints within the Statewide Election Management System (SEMS) and our current election season, action had to be taken. This June, I notified the Legislature and the clerks we must revert to the 2022 maps drawn based on the 2020 census.
I am happy to report they have done so, and the U.S. District Court denied the Plaintiffs’ attempt to stop them. I have also requested the Governor call a special session to give the Legislature an opportunity to consider the legally adopted 2022 Legislative district maps in light of the Callais ruling in an attempt to give our Circuit Clerks ample time to upload into SEMS any redistricting changes made by the Legislature.
A timely special session was needed because the qualifying period for the regularly scheduled 2027 legislative elections begins on January 4, 2027, and closes on February 1, 2027. Since we are currently in election season, legislative district maps in SEMS cannot be adjusted until the current election is closed, which could be as late as mid-December should we see any runoffs following the November 3, 2026, election.
According to our decision and the legal application of the Supreme Court ruling, the Governor correctly called for the special election in SD 34 to be held under the lines adopted by the Legislature in 2022 and applied in the 2023 legislative elections.
As to the current state of the NAACP vs SBEC case, it remains active. The Plaintiffs have repositioned and now desire to use the new Callais standards to reexamine the legislative district lines as drawn in 2022.
Under the Callais ruling, inaction was not an option. We have an election to run, and it must be administered fairly for every candidate, regardless of race or party. I am honored to lead the charge!