Mississippi enacted new state legislative district boundaries on March 31 when both legislative chambers approved district maps for the other chamber. Legislative redistricting in Mississippi does not require gubernatorial approval. The maps will take effect for the state’s next legislative elections, in 2023.
Redistricting of the state Senate was approved by the Senate 45-7 on March 29, and the state House approved the Senate’s district boundaries on March 31 by a vote of 68-49. New district boundaries for the Mississippi House of Representatives were approved by the House on March 29 by an 81-38 vote. The Mississippi Senate approved the House map—41 to 8—on March 31.
Emily Wagster Pettus of the Associated Press wrote that “Republican legislative leaders said the redistricting plans are likely to maintain their party’s majority in each chamber.” Pettus also wrote that “Senate President Pro Tempore Dean Kirby of Pearl said the Senate redistricting plan keeps the same number of Republican-leaning and Democratic-leaning districts as now.”
As of April 7, 43 states have adopted legislative district maps for both chambers and one state has adopted maps for one legislative chamber. Courts in three states have overturned previously enacted maps, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked Wisconsin’s enacted maps, and two states have not yet adopted legislative redistricting plans after the 2020 census. As of April 7, 2012, 44 states had enacted legislative redistricting plans after the 2010 census.
Nationwide, legislative redistricting has been completed for 1,758 of 1,972 state Senate seats (89.1%) and 4,776 of 5,411 state House seats (88.3%).
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