Ballot initiative reform dies in Mississippi Senate Monday

Grant McLaughlin, Mississippi Clarion Ledger

A push to bring back ballot initiatives, albeit in a more restrictive and cumbersome way than its original process, died in the Senate on Monday when Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee Chair Sen. David Parker, R-Olive Branch, allowed it to fall on a motion to reconsider.

The ballot bills, Senate Bill 2770 and Senate Concurrent Resolution 527, passed through the Senate on a slight majority Thursday afternoon, but were pushed back onto the Senate calendar. Over the weekend, Parker was informed that some further support he garnered for the bill last week, coupled with opposition from Democrats and Senate Republicans alike, had been lost, Parker told the Clarion Ledger.

"Some Democrats voted against it and change their vote, so we just barely had a majority vote (initially)," Parker said. "Over the weekend when I got word that there were no changes and not enough votes to even get close to two thirds vote... We'll see what we can do about it in the future."

Many Republicans in the Senate also voted against both the resolution and the general bill. Parker said those actions from fellow GOP members told him the bills needs even more work before GOP members will be open to it.

"Even with me moving that voting threshold on the ballot from 60% to 67%, we still did not get the number of votes that are needed on the Republican side," Parker said. "There doesn't appear to be any desire by the Senate members here to have a very watered-down version of initiative. They want it perhaps even stronger than what I brought this year, and I thought what I brought out was the strongest product, but I will try to find out from them what they think we can do."

Without the necessary two-thirds of votes to pass onto the House, Parker said he will simply try again next year, adding that he has no plans to move forward House Resolution 11, a similar bill to his that would have returned ballot initiatives with a few restrictions.

Both chambers' approach to ballot initiative reform this year included taking constitutional amendments, abortion, the state retirement system and bills dealing directly with the state general fund away from voters.

Parker's bills went a step further by also requiring petitioners to register with the Mississippi Secretary of State Office, for there to be financial reports attached to the ballot. Only two issues could be on the ballot at one time, and passage required a 67% approval from the voting body of Mississippi.

Sen. David Parker, R-Olive Branch, listens during the Appropriations Committee meeting at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, on Monday.. Less than an hour after that meeting, Parker let two of his ballot initiative bills die on the Senate calendar because he learned he had lost support from Senators to keep the legislation alive.
Sen. David Parker, R-Olive Branch, listens during the Appropriations Committee meeting at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, on Monday.. Less than an hour after that meeting, Parker let two of his ballot initiative bills die on the Senate calendar because he learned he had lost support from Senators to keep the legislation alive.

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Up until 2020, the state had a ballot initiative process. That changed when a group led by long-time Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler sought to challenge Initiative 65, which legalized medical cannabis, and the entire initiative process in court. The law, they argued, was outdated because it required signatures to come in equal proportion from the state's "five" congressional districts. The state had dropped to four congressional districts in 2001.

In May 2021, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled on Hawkins-Butler’s side, putting the state's marijuana ambitions in what would ultimately be a temporary pause, but the ballot initiative process into a more lasting freeze. Since then, the court has asked the Legislature to change only the constitution to account for the district change.

Spence Flatgard, chairman of Ballot Access Mississippi, a statewide nonprofit advocacy group that has been pushing for a return of ballot initiatives, said he was shocked by the Senate's action Monday afternoon, but he has hope that House leadership will continue to push for the return of ballot initiatives.

"I am surprised and disappointed by the Senate's actions today," Flatgard said. "I'm still encouraged by the House leadership and am optimistic that Mississippians will one day get their constitutional right restored."

Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi Senate kills ballot initiative reforms

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