Following the Rankin County Democrats’ letter to the Department of Justice opposing the proposed Mississippi House redistricting plan, the City of Morton and Rep. Tom Miles (D-75) have decided to speak out in opposition as well.

From the Clarion-Ledger:

The city of Morton has asked the Department of Justice to reject the redistricting plan for the Mississippi House of Representatives.

The Scott County Times reports that the board of aldermen acted this past week at the request of state Rep. Tom Miles, a Democrat from Forest.

Miles has protested how the House districts were drawn because it cuts Scott County in half and pushes the district he now represents into Republican suburbs of Rankin County.

A ruling from the Department of Justice on the proposed redistricting plan is expected by mid-September. Again, the Rankin County Democrats encourage all citizens to contact the Department of Justice to oppose the new map.

On July 24, Rankin County Democrats chairman Ryan Brown submitted a letter to the Department of Justice in opposition of the proposed redistricting map drawn by the Mississippi Legislature in 2012.

DOJ Letter from Chairman Ryan Brown

Between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census, the population of Rankin County, Mississippi, grew by approximately 26,290 persons, or 22%, to a total population of 141,617. Given that the average size of a seat in the Mississippi House of Representatives is approximately 24,322 persons, it is clear that Rankin County should have received a new seat in the House of Representatives situated wholly within the county.

Rankin County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Mississippi, and all of our districts in the proposed map contain significantly more voters than the recommended size. Additionally, the proposed map dilutes minority voting strength in each district, denying minority voters the opportunity for representation.

The proposed map must be approved by the Department of Justice before it can go into effect. The Department of Justice is expected to issue its ruling by mid-September.

In late August, a panel of federal judges threw out Texas’s proposed plan, which was found to excessively dilute minority voting strength.

The Rankin County Democrats encourage all voters in our county to submit letters to the Department of Justice asking them to discard the proposed plan.