Snowden proposes reforms to state gubernatorial elections
By By William F. West / community editor
Jan. 7, 2003
A Meridian legislator is proposing bold changes to Mississippi's election system.
State Rep. Greg Snowden, a Republican, wants the governor to be elected by a majority of popular votes. If no one receives a majority, he said, then the top candidates would meet in a runoff.
Such a move would eliminate the need for the state House to decide a photo-finish race like the 1999 election in which lawmakers chose Democrat Ronnie Musgrove over Republican Mike Parker.
In that election, Musgrove received 49.6 percent of the vote while Parker received 48.5 percent. The contest went to the 122-member state House, which voted 86 for Musgrove and 36 for Parker.
Session begins
Snowden's proposed state constitutional amendment is headed to the House Constitution Committee for consideration. It is one of hundreds of proposals lawmakers have filed for the 2003 Legislature.
The three-month annual session begins today.
Snowden also filed a proposed constitutional amendment to appoint state Supreme Court justices and a bill to appoint state Appeals Court judges.
Snowden's Supreme Court proposal is headed to the House Constitution Committee, while the Appeals Court bill heads to the House Judiciary A Committee.
If they fail, he said, he wants high court and appellate judges to be elected through the party primary system.
Mississippi requires non-partisan judicial elections, but Snowden noted last year's U.S. Supreme Court decision that said political parties can endorse judicial candidates.
Statewide elections
Snowden also has sponsored a state constitutional amendment to schedule state elections the same year as mid-term congressional elections.
Mississippi elects state officials one year after the mid-term congressional races. The next statewide election is this year.
Snowden said his proposal would curb the expense of elections in Mississippi and increase voter participation. That proposal is headed to the House Constitution Committee for consideration.
