Mississippi 2018 ballot measures
Zero ballot measures are certified to appear on the Mississippi ballot on November 8, 2016.
Mississippi currently allows citizen initiatives in the form of indirectly initiated constitutional amendments. Signature requirements for initiated petitions are determined by calculating 12 percent of the votes cast for governor in the most recent election. At least 86,183 valid signatures will be required to put indirect initiated constitutional amendments before voters in 2018.
The state legislative session was projected to run from January 3, 2017, to April 2, 2017, during which time the Mississippi Legislature could place legislatively referred constitutional amendments on the ballot. The legislature can put a proposed amendment on the ballot upon a two-thirds majority vote in both the legislative chambers. The number of those voting in favor must also be equal to at least a majority of the members elected to each house. The amendment must then be approved by a majority of voters.
Historical facts
- A total of 14 measures appeared on statewide ballots in Mississippi from 1995 to 2016.
- From 1995 to 2016, the number of measures on even-year statewide ballots ranged from zero to two.
- Between 1995 and 2016, an average of zero measures appeared on the ballot in Mississippi during even-numbered election years.
- Between 1995 and 2016, about 50 percent (7 of 14) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots were approved, and about 43 percent (6 of 14) were defeated. One measure was not formatted as a yes or no question; rather, the measure asked voters to select a preferred flag for the state of Mississippi.
Potential measures
| Type | Title | Subject | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| IndICA | Non-Public School Sports Teams Amendment, Initiative 53 | Education | Requires non-public school sports teams to only compete within the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools |
| IndICA | State Flag of 1894 Amendment, Initiative 54 | Motto and Symbols | Amends the Mississippi Constitution to state the current state flag, the flag adopted by the state legislature in 1894, is the official state flag of Mississippi |
| IndICA | Flag for All Mississippians Act, Initiative 55 | Motto and Symbols | Adds language to the constitution stating the state flag shall not have references to the Confederacy |
| IndICA | State Flag of 1894 Amendment, Initiative 56 | Motto and Symbols | Amends the Mississippi Constitution to state the current state flag, the flag adopted by the state legislature in 1894, is the official state flag of Mississippi |
| IndICA | Open Primary Amendment, Initiative 57 | Elections and campaigns | Changes the state's primary process from closed to open |
| IndICA | State Flag of 1894 Amendment, Initiative 58 | Motto and Symbols | Amends the Mississippi Constitution to state the current state flag, the flag adopted by the state legislature in 1894, is the official state flag of Mississippi |
| IndICA | Legislative Session Immunity Amendment, Initiative 59 | Government accountability | Repeals Article 4, Section 48 of the Mississippi Constitution |
| IndICA | Marijuana Legalization Amendment, Initiative 60 | Marijuana | Legalizes the use, sale, and cultivation of cannabis and industrial hemp for people 21 years of age or older |
Not on the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IndICA | Term Limits Amendment, Initiative 51 | Term Limits | Limits elected officials to serving two successive terms in a given office | 
|
| IndICA | Cannabis Freedom Act, Initiative 52 | Marijuana | Legalizes marijuana for those at least 18 years old |
|
State profile
This excerpt is reprinted here with the permission of the 2016 edition of the Almanac of American Politics and is up to date as of the publication date of that edition. All text is reproduced verbatim, though links have been added by Ballotpedia staff. To read the full chapter on Mississippi, click here.
Tragedy and pride: These are two strains that run through Mississippi’s history and through Mississippi today. The state has long lagged behind almost all others in just about every leading indicator. But now, half a century after the success of the civil rights movement, it has in many ways entered the American mainstream while keeping some of the distinct regional character of which so many Mississippians are proud. This green land was settled in a rush in Jacksonian America, mostly by small farmers heading west from Georgia and south from Tennessee, and also by a few big planters who made, and sometimes lost, vast fortunes, built grand mansions, brought thousands of slaves in ship holds and coffles, and sent their sons to fight in the Civil War. For a century afterward, as planters and engineers drained the Delta lands, Mississippi, with its racial segregation, subsistence farmers and sharecroppers, and low wages, lived apart from most of America. William Faulkner’s Mississippi never knew giant factories, the rushes of immigration, or the burgeoning of the suburbs that characterized much of 20th-century America. Mississippi never developed great cities: Its two ... (read more)
| Demographic data for Mississippi | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 2,984,345 | 314,107,084 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 46,923 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 51.5% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity | ||
| White: | 57.6% | 62.8% |
| Black/African American: | 37.3% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 0.9% | 5% |
| Native American: | 0.4% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 1.2% | 2.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 2.8% | 16.9% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 81.9% | 86.3% |
| College graduation rate: | 20.4% | 29.3% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $39,464 | $53,482 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 22.6% | 14.8% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2014) | ||
Presidential voting pattern
Mississippi voted Republican in all five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, two are located in Mississippi, accounting for 0.97 percent of the total pivot counties.[1]More Mississippi coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Mississippi
- United States congressional delegations from Mississippi
- Public policy in Mississippi
- Influencers in Mississippi
- Verbatim Mississippi fact checks
- More...
See also
- 2018 ballot measures
- List of Mississippi ballot measures
- Laws governing the initiative process in Mississippi
- History of Initiative & Referendum in Mississippi
- Mississippi signature requirements
External links
- Initiative Process in Mississippi, an overview from the Secretary of State
- Filed initiatives
Footnotes
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
