Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson has instructed his office to begin preparing for a potential return to the state’s 2022 legislative district maps, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Callais decision and looming election administration deadlines.
In a June 9 letter to Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Jason White, Watson said he has directed his staff to begin preparing the Statewide Elections Management System for a reversion to the maps lawmakers adopted in 2022 before portions of them were redrawn under federal court order in 2024.
“In light of the recent ruling by the United States Supreme Court in Louisiana v. Callais et al. and its direct impact on the existing legislative district maps, coupled with my statutory duty as Mississippi’s Chief Elections Officer, I write to inform you I have instructed my team to begin preparing the Statewide Elections Management System (SEMS) for a reversion to the original 2022 legislative district maps adopted by the Mississippi Legislature,” Watson wrote.
The letter comes after Hosemann and White recently created committees to evaluate the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision, which held that race cannot be a predominant factor in drawing voter maps.
In 2024, lawmakers were forced by a federal panel of judges to redraw 14 legislative districts and held subsequent elections in which Democrats flipped two Republican-held Senate seats, ending the GOP’s supermajority in the chamber. That ruling has already been affected by the Callais decision, opening the door for Republicans to redraw legislative maps in their party’s favor.
Watson’s letter also outlined the timeline lawmakers are facing to redraw districts before the 2027 legislative elections.
“As you both may be aware, no SEMS redistricting changes may be made while an election is in process,” Watson wrote.
According to the letter, election system changes for legislative districts will be prohibited from early June 2027 through mid-December 2027. Watson added that his office estimates “at least one month of preparation time will be needed for circuit clerks to reinstall the 2022 legislative district maps and comply with all other statutorily imposed duties.”
While Watson said his office is preparing for a possible return to the 2022 maps, neither Hosemann nor White has publicly indicated they intend to simply reinstate those districts.
Instead, both Republican leaders have expressed interest in drawing new maps that do not rely on race while also giving their party a greater advantage.
“I want to win,” Hosemann said last month. “But the one thing we don’t want to do is draw it on race. All that’s going to do is get us sued again.”
Another deadline lawmakers must consider is the 2027 candidate qualifying period, which opens Jan. 1 and closes Feb. 1. While White has predicted Gov. Tate Reeves will call a special session before then to allow lawmakers time to redraw legislative maps, Hosemann did not go as far as a prediction but said he “would like for” lawmakers to return to Jackson in December to address the issue.
Watson’s letter also included a timeline for congressional redistricting. While lawmakers could theoretically approve new congressional maps before the Nov. 3 general election, changes would need to be finalized by Sept. 3 to allow election officials time to update the state’s election management system. It was not made clear in the letter if circuit clerk offices would need an additional month for preparation, as will be the case for legislative redistricting.
Some Republican leaders – including Watson himself – have opposed redrawing congressional districts before November because primary elections have already been held and any changes would likely trigger legal challenges. The issue has gained attention nationally as both Republican- and Democratic-led states pursue mid-decade redistricting efforts following the Callais decision.
Watson copied Reeves and Attorney General Lynn Fitch on the letter, both of whom serve with him on the State Board of Election Commissioners.