On January 24, the Mississippi House passed HCR 11, which would restore the statewide initiative process. If it passes the Senate, it would go on the November 2024 ballot. It would require a petition of 8% of the registered voters, to be completed within 12 months. That would be approximately 150,000 signatures.
Here is the text of the proposed constitutional amendment.
TOO MANY LOOPHOLES TO COUNT === NEAR USELESS
TYPICAL OF NEW AGE RIGGING OF ELECTION SYSTEMS
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PR
APPV
TOTSOP
8% seems high. How does this compare to other states?
How does this effect the petition drive to keep the Old Mississippi state flag with the Confederate flag in the corner? They had half the number needed to place it on the ballot?
I’m surprised. Why would they do this?
When why everyone get in office want votes to be hastings of races for things you know s wrong keep people’s from votes to be in powers for the wrong reasons l been a fool for one mam control all you peoples in only a hateful heart ♥ working for one site of people’s the day come when God is tried of you in powers destroyed his people’s the words in Bible should be bring people’s of all colors togethers stop kiss up to Trump who is from different country himself
English is not your first language, I take it.
@RTP,
The current standard is 12% of the number of votes cast in the prior gubernatorial election (821,000 x .12 = 98.6K). The proposed standard is 8% of the number of qualified voters at the prior gubernatorial election (~1,920,000 x .08 = 153.6K) so they have effectively increased the number of signature requirement by about 50%.
They have updated the old distribution requirement (or made it dynamic). The current constitution requires that no more than 1/5 of the required signatures can be collected from a single congressional district. 98.6K x 1/5 = 19.72K maximum from any CD. The problem is that Mississippi only has 4 congressional districts. 4 x 19.72K = 78.9K which is less than the total number required. It is impossible to comply with the constitution.
The proposed amendment would limit signatures to 1/N of the number of congressional districts (currently 4). So 153.6K x 1/4 = 38.4K signatures counted from any congressional district. The number of voters per congressional district is not equal, so more than 12% of the voters will need to sign signatures in some districts.
Note to MS: It would likely be more difficult to get signatures to preserve the battle flag from the majority-black district. I don’t see any time limit in the constitutional amendment. It is conceivable that the legislature could set time limits in statute.
We must restore the Confederate Battle Flag and a future for Southern White children.
@Jim, thanks for that info. I’m hoping someone would be able to take the information from here (https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/initiative-and-referendum-processes) and make a chart like the ones Richard often puts in the print editions of B.A.N.
there are also some good charts in this: https://documents.ncsl.org/wwwncsl/Elections/IandR-report-2002.pdf
I agree with Porcus Agricola.
I do as well.
@MS,
Mississippi had not discovered that the loss of a representative as a result of the 2000 Census had made it impossible to comply with the Mississippi constitution. Or rather the SOS had tried to cobble together a method that kind of complied with the constitution, by using the old five congressional districts from the 1990 apportionment.
The Mississippi Supreme Court in 2021 overturned a medical marijuana initiative on grounds that it had not properly been placed on the ballot, because the constitutional procedure was no longer operative. A news story from 2021 said that the ruling derailed other initiative drives, including that to restore the former flag. It also suggested that it might invalidate two initiatives that had been improperly placed on the ballot.
One from 2011, would have restricted governmental use of eminent domain. In 2022, the legislature was considering trying to place the eminent domain restriction in statute.
I suspect that all pending initiatives will be terminated until the new procedure is added to the constitution (requiring approval by the voters in November 2024).
The new flag is kind of ridiculous. I still fly the old one. Hopefully it will be restored soon.
@WP,
If the legislature approves the constitutional amendment, and it is adopted by the voters, you can begin circulating your petition.
Other folks might find themselves more well suited to begging for signatures. I’d send a couple of my negroes to do it, but in truth they can’t read or write, and are better suited to menial tasks around the house and farm, as negroes generally are.
Personally, I’d be for persuading our legislators to do their duty in more traditional and less polite ways. After a few special elections, they’d see their way clear to returning to the tried and true ways of yore, and not only when it comes to what flag we fly either.
Unfortunately, nowadays the infernal federal government with its Damn Yankee bureau of investigations would most likely see clear to interfere in matters of constituents exercising our first and second Amendment rights to help persuade our elected representatives. Then, we’d have to resort to other articles of the Bill of Rights, such as the fourth, fifth, etc.
In the meantime, I’ll keep flying the old banner. I do still have that right. And I’ll sign that petition when it comes around. Maybe even pass it to a few Kinfolks and Kountry Kousins, while longing for the day when we get to remind our politicians that hemp has some uses besides smoking. That day is assuredly coming, hopefully sooner rather than later.
@WP,
Do you favor a repeal of the 8th Amendment?
No, but I would interpret it as it was originally in the 18th century, not as it has come to be interpreted in the 21st.
I would repeal most of the amendments from Lincoln on. For the sake of simplicity, it might be best to declare government to have been lawless since then, and revert to the constitution and federal laws of 1860, then examine what of the subsequent jurisprudence is worth adopting again (very little, I’d venture).
Most legal issues should be dealt with at the local level, with English common law in the vast majority of circumstances.
I don’t see taring and feathering officious miscreants as something which should be considered unusual punishment. In times of war, particularly, mass execution of traitors should be considered the most common and routine of punishments.
In general, execution should be the most common punishment for serious mala in se felonies, and should be carried out promptly after sentencing, as was commonplace on the American frontier.
Jim Riley, anything new since January 30th?
@MS,
The last action was on January 25 when the resolution was transmitted to the Senate. It has not been referred to a committee in the Senate yet.
I don’t think that this means anything. Everything got done in two days in the House.