wlbt.com · Courtney Ann Jackson · September 9, 2026
Mississippians weigh in as redistricting hearings continue statewide
# Mississippians weigh in as redistricting hearings continue statewide
By Courtney Ann Jackson
Published: Sep. 8, 2026 at 10:10 PM CDT| Updated: 15 minutes ago
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) -Mississippians are getting a chance to weigh in before new district lines are drawn. A meeting in Natchez was the fourth of eight statewide redistricting hearings.
Rev. Dr. Robert James, president of the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP, told the committee redistricting is about more than lines on a map.
“A democracy worthy of its name must be built on fair maps that amplify the voices of the people, not the preferences of those in power,” James said at a prior hearing.
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel John Sullivan offered a different perspective during the second hearing.
“Our four congressional districts should be redrawn based on where Mississippians actually live, not on a predetermined racial target,” Sullivan said.
## Committee members address process concerns
Rep. Noah Sanford, vice chair of the Joint Committee on Reapportionment and Redistricting, said the committee is hearing a repeated concern from region to region.
“We have seen, still see a lot of preconceived notions and that’s unfortunate,” Sanford said. “No House maps have been drawn, and I don’t believe there have been any Senate maps that have been drawn. So it’s not true that everything’s already been decided—what’s going to happen. That’s not true at all.”
Rep. Tracey Rosebud, a Democrat on the Joint Redistricting Committee, said that can make it harder for people to separate what they have heard from what is actually happening.
“The lack of understanding of the true process—and individuals overshadowing what’s real from what they believe—is constantly a problem with us throughout the process,” Rosebud said.
Sen. Brice Wiggins, a Republican on the Joint Redistricting Committee, said the hearings are a shift from the normal legislative process and a reminder to be a good listener.
“Us legislators, we’re used to the back and forth of debate, but I think it is a valuable part of the process,” Wiggins said. “I came away with one of them going, you know what? There’s more nuances to this than what you see on social media.”
The Natchez meeting was the fourth stop, leaving four more opportunities for public input to the committee.
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