A strange thing, by today’s standards, occurred in 1991. Republican gubernatorial candidate Kirk Fordice and Democratic attorney general candidate Mike Moore both championed passage of the ballot initiative process allowing citizens to amend the state constitution. After they took office in 1992, they helped push the proposal through the legislature.
That process worked until the Mississippi Supreme Court threw it out on a technicality in 2021. Since then, the legislature has squabbled over the issue.
House Speaker Jason White now has a select committee looking, again, at restoring the ballot initiative. Well, not exactly.
Speaker White did not say he wants to “restore” anything. He did say, “Mississippians have long requested a process for a ballot initiative to ensure they have a fair and accessible means of influencing state policy.” That is a far cry from “restoring” the 1992 approved process.
The initiative process White has favored to date would prohibit citizens from amending the constitution in any way. The proposals have included language of this sort: “The initiative process shall not be used: (a) To propose any new amendments to or the modification or repeal of any existing provision of this constitution.”
What the Speaker would allow are referenda on initiatives to change statutes – with exceptions. These exceptions would prohibit initiatives that affect abortion, existing local or special laws, any subject the constitution prohibits the legislature from enacting, the state’s bill of rights, PERS, right to work, and the initiative process itself. The last four exist in the current process.
You might ask why the House – and the Senate – don’t simply fix the technical error cited by the Supreme Court and truly restore the initiative process. All that would take is changing the number of congressional districts listed from five to four.
Instead, White and others have expressed concerns that deep-pocketed, out-of-state special interests might try to influence Mississippi's process.
So, we should not be concerned when deep-pocketed, out-of-state special interests come court and lavish gifts on legislators to influence state policy, e.g. free hunting trips, fishing expeditions, beach visits, or even a lavish trip to the Super Bowl (“House Speaker Jason White, staff treated to Super Bowl by gambling giant pushing for legalized betting,” Mississippi Today April 23, 2025). But we should fear such interests trying to influence voters directly?
Hmmm. Emperor White has no clothes to disguise this hypocrisy.
Clearly, the sort of rare leadership Fordice and Moore provided – leaders in power willing to cede power to the electorate – is sorely missed in current ballot initiative talks.
“As you know, the kings and great men of the earth lord it over the people” – Mark 10:42
Bill Crawford is the author of A Republican’s Lament: Mississippi Needs Good Government Conservatives.
