Tuesday’s approval of the redistricting plans formulated by the Legislature’s Republican majority was a victory for both parties. The House approved the redistricting plan of its leadership 81 to 37 with the majority of the chamber’s Democrats voting in opposition. The Senate vote, which was approved by 37-5 votes, was more nuanced and all Democrats voted in favor of its final passage. Black senators opposed the plan because it diluted Black voter power and tried unsuccessfully to amend. A few Republicans were furious that Sen. Melanie Sojourner (R-Natchez), was placed in a majority Black district due to population loss in Southwest Mississippi. This led to hours of discussion on Tuesday. Senator Chris McDaniel (R-Ellisville), a close political ally to Sojourner, failed to amend the Senate map in his favor. He also had heated discussions with other Republican senators after he claimed they were guilty of “racial Gerrymandering.” Five votes against the Senate plan came from Republicans who allied themselves with McDaniel. Senator Kathy Chism (R-New Albany) said that she had prayed about the issue and God said to her, “Child…I sent you to Jackson…a Republican.” Chism stated, “As a Republican, I am concerned about the increase in (Black voter age population) now being over 60%.” “That leaves a Republican, prolife district at risk of becoming a prochoice Democrat one. It’s high time that Republicans stand up for Republican principles. In the days ahead, the two chambers will approve the plan of the other chamber and finish the redistricting process every ten years in order to comply with population shifts as determined by the U.S. Census. Both chambers had black legislators that failed to offer amendments to increase the number African American-majority districts. Robert Johnson, D.Natchez, the House minority leader, stated that “all we are saying is that a redistricting program reflect the population of Mississippi.” “We should be in this body in balance that takes care everyone in the state.” Both the Senate Republican leadership and the House developed a plan to maintain “the status quo” with respect to African American majority districts. The Senate has 52 seats, while the House has 42. Senator Derrick Simmons, D. Greenville, who is the Senate’s minority leader, stated that a map that preserves the status quo “dilutes Black voter-strengthen in Mississippi.” Simmons proposed an amendment to add four additional Black majority districts to the Senate, but it was rejected. Johnson presented a plan in the House that would have added five more majority-Black districts to the House. Johnson also proposed ten additional districts that would have given African Americans greater influence through increasing their numbers. Few districts in the House leadership plan have a Black population of between 30 and 40 percent. Johnson’s plan would have substantially increased this number. According to African American members, the leadership had “packed” the Black population in fewer districts to weaken their strength. Johnson stated, “What we’re trying to do is to say that you don’t have to pack all the African Americans into one district.” Rep. Jim Beckett (R-Bruce), who led the redistricting process in House said, “I can’t tell you I don’t think you have to pack all of the African Americans in one district.” The leadership’s plans mean that 29% of Senate districts are majority African American, while 34% are House districts. According to the 2020 Census, 38% of the state’s African American population lives in the state while 59% are white. According to the U.S. Census, the remaining percentage falls under “other” categories. These include multiple racial group and are included in the categories. READ MORE: * Republicans make few amendments to legislative maps during redistricting. * Mississippi NAACP questions the constitutionality of redistricting plan. * Ethics Commission rules that open meeting law was not infringed in redistricting effort. * Podcast: The ‘daunting task’ of legislative redistricting. Support this work by making a recurring contribution today to celebrate our Spring Member Drive.