Mississippi Votes was founded to address long-standing barriers to voting in the state. In 2020, The Center for Public Integrity and Mississippi Today shed light on a 2019 lawsuit that claimed the Black vote in Mississippi was being systematically diluted. The case centered around provisions in the state constitution, enacted during Mississippi’s 1890 Constitutional Convention, at a time when Mississippi’s Black population was at its peak. The lawsuit highlighted serious concerns about the security of the vote in the state, revealing that Mississippi’s demographic diversity was far more significant than many had previously recognized.
Restrictive laws, voter suppression tactics, and systemic inequalities have historically affected marginalized communities, particularly Black Mississippians. These obstacles include limited access to early voting and felon disenfranchisement; many citizens across the state of Mississippi have experienced polling relocations without notification, which increases calling numbers to the Mississippi Votes Hotline to see what the next steps are. These barriers were designed with racist intent. While they impact voters across the state, their primary goal has been to suppress the political power of the Black community.
Mississippi Votes aims to address barriers to voting by creating a transformative culture of civic engagement throughout the state. We aim to empower people, especially those who are most often unheard, by increasing voter engagement, particularly among young people and people of color. We focus our outreach on these groups because they are often left out of the political process due to systemic barriers. Our work is year-round, engaging in voter registration, policy education, and grassroots organizing, ensuring that our communities remain informed and active, not just during election cycles.
Since our inception, Mississippi Votes has evolved and grown by intentionally incorporating research and evaluation and by deeply listening to the people of Mississippi. We have strengthened our leadership and outreach across the state; tested, updated and deepened our organizing model, and incorporated programming that best reflects the people of Mississippi.
Restoring the ballot initiative process
In 2021, the Mississippi Supreme Court invalidated the ballot initiative process, effectively silencing a tool for direct democracy that had been used to pass important measures like medical marijuana.
Mississippi Votes has been working to restore the ballot initiative process with the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC) through groundwork like surveying citizens, social media campaigns, promoting the fight through legislative reports, and lobbying legislators along with our college students to promote change and educate the students on how they can ignite change.
The lack of a ballot initiative process is part of a broader trend of anti-democratic actions in Mississippi, which include ongoing efforts to restrict access to the ballot, suppress voter participation through gerrymandering, and implement stricter voter ID laws.
Outreach and its challenges
Our outreach combines digital platforms with on-the-ground organizing. We engage with voters through social media campaigns, text and phone banking, and email outreach, while also hosting in-person events such as voter registration drives, community meetings, and training sessions. We partner with numerous local and national organizations such as Poor People’s Campaign, BISC, The Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy, and People’s Advocacy Institute to name a few. This is needed to amplify our impact and reach as many Mississippians as possible.
We have faced numerous challenges in its efforts to register voters, particularly due to restrictive laws surrounding registration deadlines and access to the ballot on Election Day.
Additionally, many citizens have been unknowingly purged from voter rolls, making it even harder for them to exercise their right to vote. To combat these barriers, Mississippi Votes focuses on educating voters about their rights, advocating for policy reforms, and partnering with legal organizations to expose and challenge voter suppression tactics.
Meeting disillusionment with vision
Many young people we interact with feel disillusioned by the political process. They often cite feelings of powerlessness, a lack of trust in the system, and frustration over the slow pace of change as reasons for being turned off. However, we also see a growing number of young people who are deeply passionate about issues like racial justice, climate change, and economic inequality, and they recognize that their voices can make a difference if they stay engaged.
Our vision is to build a Mississippi where every individual has the power to participate fully in democracy. We strive for a state where voting is accessible, civic engagement is widespread, and all voices, especially those historically marginalized, are heard and respected.
Readers should know that the fight for voting rights in Mississippi is far from over, but it’s not a fight we’re taking on alone. Every individual can play a role in strengthening democracy, whether by registering to vote, educating themselves on key issues, or joining in the efforts to ensure everyone’s voice is heard. Our work is about building a better future for Mississippi, and that requires collective action.