Supervisors and other officials attend training on redistricting

The Warren County Board of Supervisors will be tasked with oversight of the redistricting process within the county later this year.

On Tuesday, supervisors, members of the election commission and others attended a training session at Hinds Community College in the Loviza Auditorium.

This process occurs every ten years, in the year following the census. The state will have oversight over legislative and judicial districts that encompass multiple counties. The session was organized by District 3 Supervisor Shawn Jackson and presented by the Mississippi Association of Supervisors Minority Caucus.

Last week, supervisors met with the Central Mississippi Planning & Development District representatives who have offered their assistance and expertise. US Representatives and the 174 legislature seats are determined by the process.

Following the 2010 United States Census, Mississippi apportioned four congressional seats.

Mississippi’s House of Representatives is made up of 122 districts; Mississippi’s State Senate is made up of 52 districts.

In Mississippi, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. Warren County Election Commission Chairwoman Sara Dionne said Tuesday that census information will probably not be available until around the first of September. She said the current Board is taking steps to educate itself to ensure the process is done in accordance with state laws. The Mississippi Supreme Court has issued various rulings throughout the years to make certain that the process gives fair representation to voters.