News & Commentary

In Mississippi, the fight for fair maps is not over. Despite the adoption of new legislative district boundaries, several civil rights organizations and individual voters have challenged the maps for unlawfully diluting the voting strength of Black Mississippians.

It should not come as a surprise that Mississippi ranks at the bottom in voter turnout. Just because we can overcome doesn’t mean we should accept it. The best way to fight back against voter suppression is to vote.

Elected officials don’t have the final say when it comes to our rights — we do. Let the ACLU help you step into your power at the ballot box!

Here is a summary of what we were able to accomplish and what challenges we still face after the 2022 legislative session.

Black lawyers and civic leaders in Mississippi are demanding full and fair representation on the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Biden has made progress implementing his executive order to promoting voting access, but more work is needed.

The Mississippi Legislature is currently engaged in redistricting, once-a-decade work to redraw state legislative and congressional maps. Redistricting can be done fairly, so that all voters can have their voices heard equally and given a chance to elect representatives of their choice. It can also be done to dilute the voice of certain groups while amplifying the political power of others. For example, in 2018 in Ohio, Republicans won 53% of the statewide vote but managed to win 12 out of 16 congressional seats. This unfair result was achieved through gerrymandering, the practice of engaging in redistricting in an unfair, partisan manner, which allows elected officials to choose their voters. Democrats in Maryland, and politicians in other states across the country, have engaged in similar unfair gerrymandering.

This year, as redistricting starts across the country, the ACLU works to ensure that these new electoral lines are not gerrymandered.

Even with the number of controversial bills coming out of committees in both chambers, we had a very successful 2021 legislative session. Deputy Director Alicia Netterville recaps the accomplishments and setbacks.