Congressman Thompson’s Statement on State’s Gerrymandered Congressional Redistricting Map
The Standing Joint Congressional Redistricting Committee met early today and adopted the proposed Congressional Map. I am deeply concerned about the map that the committee adopted. In reflection, the current Congressional map adopted in 2011 and drawn by the Supreme Court is a fairer map.
The map adopted today did not meet the criteria for compactness and unfairly gives the 2nd Congressional District a significantly larger mass of land. The 2nd Congressional District, as it currently exists, is already the largest Congressional District in Mississippi by square miles. Increasing its landmass unnecessarily is adding insult to injury. Furthermore, the map adopted today is clearly gerrymandering Hinds County in two ways. First, Precinct 16 is split between the 2nd and 3rd CD which currently is all within the 2nd CD. Secondly, the committee added four additional counties to the 2nd CD (Adams, Amite, Franklin, and Wilkinson) to continue having the Northeastern Corridor of Jackson to be in the 3rd CD. This blatant gerrymandering does not allow for a fair redistricting process, and it splits communities and counties pointlessly.
The map proposed by the Mississippi State Conference NAACP is most closely aligned with the current Congressional Map that was adopted by the Mississippi Supreme Court in 2011. According to the information presented by the Standing Joint Congressional Redistricting Committee, the NAACP plan had fewer split counties and precincts than "Magnolia 1" the map adopted by the committee.
The process that the Standing Joint Congressional Redistricting Committee and the Standing Joint Legislative Committee on Reapportionment and Redistricting utilized is troubling as well. This sentiment is echoed by the complaint filed against the committee by numerous groups stating that the "Standing Joint Congressional Redistricting Committee and the Standing Joint Legislative Committee on Reapportionment and Redistricting have violated the Mississippi Open Meetings Act by deliberating, making decisions, and conducting public business outside a properly noticed open meeting."
I believe that "Magnolia 1" should not have been adopted by the committee, and a map such as the one presented by the NAACP should be the Congressional map considered. As elected officials, our job is to serve Mississippi and its citizens. This process must begin with fair maps and a fair redistricting process.