JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A revised congressional map will head to the governor’s desk for approval after the Mississippi Senate approved it on Wednesday, January 12. However, not everyone is happy.
The NAACP and ACLU said they are disappointed about the lack of transparency in the process.
Redistricting happens every ten years and impacts the way you vote, who represents you and resources.
The NAACP created their own plan and believed it was the best option going forward. The ACLU said the committee violated the Open Meetings Act throughout the process on a change that will have long term effects on citizens.
“This of us having to go to the push and pull on his issues is not new. The course drew our district’s congressional district in 2011 because the Legislature couldn’t get it right. And so now when we look at this opportunity, it was before us,” said Dr. Corey Wiggins, executive director of Mississippi NAACP. “We’ll review and see what’s there and see what opportunities we may be able to find remedy for our citizens in Mississippi.”
“They’re also going to be adopting maps for the State House of Representatives and State Senate and our Open Meetings Act compliant. Hopefully, we’ll get them to be more transparent when thinking about those maps as well,” said ACLU of Mississippi Legal Director Joshua Tom.
Both groups said they hope to see more transparency as other maps are drawn and the governor is expected to approve the congressional map soon.