Senate committee approves plan to redraw districts to meet Section 2 ruling; two new majority-minority districts created

The Mississippi Senate Rules Committee on Monday approved a joint resolution that presents a redistricting plan the committee says responds to a federal court ruling under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

"As all of you know, on July 2, 2024, a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi held that the legislature needs to redraw their maps to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act," said Senator Kirby, chair of the committee. He told the committee the plan before them was the product of many drafts, staff work and outside review.

The plan creates two new majority‑minority Senate districts and affects multiple other districts, the committee was told. Kirby said the DeSoto County area will be represented by a newly configured district the plan labels Senate District 11 with a Black voting‑age population of 50.92 percent; a new district in the Hattiesburg/Forest County area, labeled Senate District 45, has a…