Tommy Reynolds, chairman of the House of Representatives Apportionment and Elections Committee (Water Valley-D), is calling on Governor Haley Barbour to call a special session to finalize redistricting plans using the recent census data.
Representative Reynolds has joined with Senator Terry C. Burton in requesting that Governor Barbour call a brief special session for both chambers to vote on redistricting plans. The three judge panel overseeing the redistricting case held earlier this week that elections this year must be held in the current districts, which were drawn in 2002 using the 2000 census data.
As a result, said Reynolds, “we will be running this year in districts that are malapportioned based on population.”
“We have voted three times in the House and passed a plan each time. Calling a special session would allow the Legislature to complete the task rather than forcing the courts to solve this for us. The courts desires us to do our part. This would give us an opportunity to perform our constitutional duty,” said Reynolds.
Tommy Reynolds pleads for special session 051911
Tommy Reynolds Press Release
5/19/11
Magnolia Tribune
