Democrats speak out against Mississippi secretary of state’s plan to reinstate 2022 legislative maps

by kobee vance • Published on June 17, 2026 • Comments

A version of a proposed Mississippi Senate redistricting map is displayed on a computer monitor at the state Capitol in Jackson, March 29, 2022. Three federal judges Tuesday, July 2, 2024, ordered Mississippi legislators to redraw some state House and Senate districts, finding that the districts adopted in 2022 diminished Black voting strength in parts of the state.
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File

Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson has instructed his office to prepare the state’s electronic voting system for a rollback to the 2022 legislative district maps, a move that drew swift criticism from the state’s Democratic Party.

Kobee Vance, MPB News

Democrats speak out against Mississippi secretary of state’s plan to reinstate 2022 legislative voting maps

In a June 9 letter to Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Jason White, Watson announced he has directed his own staff to begin preparing the state's election system to revert to the 2022 legislative maps by 2027. The internal directive follows a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision which could override federal court-mandated maps adopted last year that briefly cost Republicans their supermajority in the state Senate.

Dear Lieutenant Governor Hosemann and Speaker White:

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.

As you both may be aware, no SEMS redistricting changes may be made while an election is in process. For the 2026 election, this means changes will be prohibited from 60 days before Election Day (November 3, 2026) until the election is certified in mid-December. Regarding the 2027 election calendar, SEMA redistricting changes will similarly be prohibited from early June 2027 through mid-December 2027. Additionally, our staff 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.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Michael Watson

Democrats responded to the announcement on June 11th after the letter was made public.

Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Cheikh Taylor said the secretary's letter reveals the true intent behind Republican redistricting talk.

"Let's be clear about what Michael Watson is doing," said Chairman Taylor. "He is laying the administrative groundwork to hand Republicans a political windfall before a single public hearing has been held, before a single map has been drawn, and before Mississippi voters have had any say. The 2024 elections proved that when Black Mississippians have fair representation, Democrats win. That is exactly why Republicans are in such a hurry to turn back the clock."

House Minority Leader, Robert Johnson III of Natchez, questioned the legal basis of Watson’s directive, noting that the authority to draw lines rests with lawmakers.

“I don’t know any authority under which the Secretary of State has the authority to redraw district lines. That’s done by the legislature, so there’s no administrative authority. That may be the way he feels, but that’s not the way things are done,” said Johnson.

Senate Minority Leader Derrick Simmons of Greenville said he would oppose efforts by the legislature to pass new maps next year. But if a bill does go for a vote, he said he wants a map that protects minority voters.

“It’s still the law of the land for minorities to be able to select candidates of their choice,” said Simmons. “And so it is my hope that through fair representation, that we will have fair maps. And we don’t want to disenfranchise any voter or any community of interest in the state of Mississippi.”

When lawmakers changed the voting map in 2025 following federal court orders, it allowed Democrats to pick up two additional seats in the Senate, and one in the House.