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Late last week, something really important happened in Mississippi:
With the support of the National Redistricting Foundation, our organization's 501(c)(3) affiliate, four African-American voters sued state officials in federal court over Mississippi's outdated statewide electoral system, a scheme based in racism.
Here's what Mississippi's system looks like -- and why we're fighting so hard to change it.
What's different about Mississippi?
In almost every other state in America, statewide elections are decided by a simple system: Count all of the votes, and the candidate with the greatest number of votes wins. But not in Mississippi.
Mississippi has a unique requirement: In order to win a statewide election, a candidate must win both a majority of the popular vote AND at least a plurality of the vote in 62 of the 122 state House of Representatives districts. If a candidate doesn't fulfill both requirements, the election is decided by the Mississippi House of Representatives -- and they're not required to vote as their districts did.
Why is it such a big deal?
This system dates all the way back to 1890, when white Mississippi politicians in the post-Reconstruction era created this system in an effort to suppress black voting power and make sure African-Americans wouldn't hold statewide office. It has no place in modern American politics.
And think about it this way: Who draws and controls Mississippi's House districts? State officials who are willing to manipulate the districts to keep their power. That's exactly what they've done -- gerrymandering African-American votes into concentrated areas, and making it that much harder for a black candidate or a minority-supported candidate to reach the 62 district threshold.
How does it affect modern elections?
No African-American in Mississippi has been elected to statewide office since the 1890 Constitutional Convention enacted these and other discriminatory provisions, despite the fact that Mississippi has the highest percentage of African-Americans of any state in the country. And in a state with a history of suppressing the black vote -- from poll taxes to violence at the ballot box -- the fact that this system still exists is fundamentally wrong.
It's time to fix things. All On The Line is proud of our affiliate that stood up for these brave voters, and we will keep fighting until we have fair districts and protected voting rights for all.
Thanks for your support,
Team All On The Lin
Paid for by The National Redistricting Action Fund.
Late last week, something really important happened in Mississippi:
With the support of the National Redistricting Foundation, our organization's 501(c)(3) affiliate, four African-American voters sued state officials in federal court over Mississippi's outdated statewide electoral system, a scheme based in racism.
Here's what Mississippi's system looks like -- and why we're fighting so hard to change it.
What's different about Mississippi?
In almost every other state in America, statewide elections are decided by a simple system: Count all of the votes, and the candidate with the greatest number of votes wins. But not in Mississippi.
Mississippi has a unique requirement: In order to win a statewide election, a candidate must win both a majority of the popular vote AND at least a plurality of the vote in 62 of the 122 state House of Representatives districts. If a candidate doesn't fulfill both requirements, the election is decided by the Mississippi House of Representatives -- and they're not required to vote as their districts did.
Why is it such a big deal?
This system dates all the way back to 1890, when white Mississippi politicians in the post-Reconstruction era created this system in an effort to suppress black voting power and make sure African-Americans wouldn't hold statewide office. It has no place in modern American politics.
And think about it this way: Who draws and controls Mississippi's House districts? State officials who are willing to manipulate the districts to keep their power. That's exactly what they've done -- gerrymandering African-American votes into concentrated areas, and making it that much harder for a black candidate or a minority-supported candidate to reach the 62 district threshold.
How does it affect modern elections?
No African-American in Mississippi has been elected to statewide office since the 1890 Constitutional Convention enacted these and other discriminatory provisions, despite the fact that Mississippi has the highest percentage of African-Americans of any state in the country. And in a state with a history of suppressing the black vote -- from poll taxes to violence at the ballot box -- the fact that this system still exists is fundamentally wrong.
It's time to fix things. All On The Line is proud of our affiliate that stood up for these brave voters, and we will keep fighting until we have fair districts and protected voting rights for all.
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Team All On The Lin
3 de jun às 11:07
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