Welcome to the Wednesday, May 28, Brew.
By: Briana Ryan
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Eighteen special legislative elections to happen in Mississippi—more than any other state so far this year
- Florida enacts law changing initiative process requirements
- On the Ballot breaks down the school budget season
Eighteen special legislative elections to happen in Mississippi—more than any other state so far this year
Fifteen more state legislative special elections will happen this year in Mississippi—10 in the Mississippi Senate and five in the Mississippi House of Representatives—after a successful redistricting challenge that led to redrawn maps concluded this month.
Previously, the state held two special House elections in March and one special Senate election in April. That brings its total to 18, more than any other state this year, and 25% of the 72 special legislative elections that were held or are scheduled to be held this year.
The redistricting challenge began on Dec. 20, 2022, when the Mississippi NAACP and a group of Black voters filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s legislative district boundaries. The lawsuit stated that the maps enacted earlier that year “illegally dilute the voting strength of Black Mississippians and improperly use voters’ race to achieve partisan goals and protect incumbent politicians.”
In July 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi’s Northern Division ordered the Mississippi Legislature to create two new majority-Black state Senate districts and one new majority-Black state House district by the end of the 2025 legislative session. The plaintiffs challenged the resulting plan’s treatment of Chickasaw County in the state House and DeSoto County in the state Senate, arguing the Legislature’s revision still diluted Black voting power in those areas.
On April 15, 2025, the court agreed, in part, with the plaintiffs. It gave the Mississippi Election Commission—which consists of the Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State—one week to submit a new plan for DeSoto County.
The court approved the commission’s plan on May 7, and Gov. Tate Reeves (R) scheduled special elections in the affected districts.
The filing deadline for the special elections is June 9. The primary election is Aug. 5, and the general election is Nov. 4. The chart below shows the 15 districts where special elections will occur.
Currently, Republicans represent 10 of the districts, and Democrats represent five. Mississippi has a Republican trifecta, which means that Republicans control the governorship and both legislative chambers. Republicans have a 36-16 majority in the state Senate and a 79-40 majority in the state House with three independents.
The last regularly scheduled legislative elections were in 2023 when all state Senate and House seats were up for election. In Mississippi, legislators serve four-year terms without term limits. The next regularly scheduled legislative elections will be in 2027.
Between 2011 and 2024, an average of 70 special elections occurred each year. In 2024, North Dakota had the most special elections, with seven, while in 2023, Pennsylvania had the most, with seven.
Click here to read more about the special legislative elections happening this year.
Florida enacts law changing initiative process requirements
On May 2, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed House Bill 1205 (HB 1205), making multiple changes to the state’s citizen initiative process. This process allows citizens to propose statutes or constitutional amendments, depending on the state, and collect signatures to place their proposals on the ballot for voters to decide. Florida is one of 26 states with at least one type of citizen initiative process at the state level.
The Florida House of Representatives approved the bill 81-30, with all Republicans voting for it and all Democrats voting against it. The Florida Senate approved it 28-9, with all Republicans and the state’s sole independent voting for it and all Democrats voting against it.
State Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R), who co-sponsored HB 1205, said, “The initiative petition process is broken, and we need to put in safeguards to protect the citizens of the state of Florida from the known fraud that we know is occurring.” State Sen. Carlos Smith (D), who opposed the bill, said, “This bill has been intentionally designed to make it impossible for any statewide citizen initiative to make it to the ballot ever again.”
Among the changes that HB 1205 makes to the initiative process are:
- Requiring sponsors to affirm they are not convicted felons, are state residents, and citizens of the U.S.
- Requiring petition circulators to register with the Secretary of State and complete mandatory training.
- Requiring circulators to sign a statement affirming that they witnessed each signature and they were not paid based on the number of signatures collected. Florida is one of nine states that has banned pay-per-signature policies.
- Requiring a financial impact statement to be obtained from the Financial Impact Estimating Conference (composed of four individuals designated by the governor, the Office of Demographic Research, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House) before collecting signatures and requires the statement to be included on the petition form and on the ballot.
To view a full list of changes, click here.
Four groups—Florida Decides Healthcare, Smart & Safe Florida, the League of Women Voters of Florida, and the League of United Latin American Citizens—are challenging HB 1205 in U.S. District Court. They argue that the bill “imposes vague, burdensome, and punitive restrictions on the constitutional amendment process that threaten to chill core political speech and discourage civic participation.” The lawsuit alleges that House Bill 1205 violates the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
As of May 19, we have followed 582 legislative proposals concerning ballot measures, initiatives, veto referendums, referrals, local ballot measures, and recall elections in 49 states this year. As of May 19, 53 bills had been enacted into law. State legislatures have passed six of the 53 bills that now go before voters. Six additional bills were passed but vetoed.
Click here to read more about the changes in 2025 to laws governing ballot measures.
On the Ballot breaks down the school budget season
Class is in session in this week’s episode of On the Ballot. Our host, Norm Leahy, talks to Georgetown University’s Dr. Marguerite Roza about the school budget season.
Each year, in the middle of winter, school districts nationwide start the budget process for the next school year in September. According to Rosa, this process includes the district going “back and forth with the board in a series of meetings throughout the spring, ideally wrestling with trade-offs.” Ultimately, the process ends in May or June when the board signs the budget at an open board meeting.
Join us as we examine this process in depth and explain why it’s important to communities nationwide. To listen to this episode and more, click here. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to On the Ballot on YouTube or your preferred podcast app.