The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is dedicated to safeguarding civil rights and building a more equitable and just society. Rooted in the South, where the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement continues to shape the struggle for racial equity, we partner with communities to dismantle white supremacy and strengthen intersectional movements to advance transformative policies and human rights for all. Our work includes providing subject-matter expertise and technical assistance to partners, stakeholders, and state and local officials to drive impactful initiatives that ensure a future where Black and Brown communities are not only represented but deeply respected as part of a thriving democracy. We focus on:
- Strengthening Democracy and Voting Rights: Expanding Access & Improving Engagement
- Dismantling White Supremacy: Ensuring Inclusive Education
- Ending Unjust Imprisonment: Disrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline
- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality: Protecting Social Safety Net Programs
Strengthening Democracy and Voting Rights
Quick Facts:
- With no early voting period, Mississippi is an outlier among Southern states.
70% of voters in Georgia voted early in the 2024 election.
- Studies show no-excuse absentee voting increase voter engagement, with no benefit to any political party.
Mississippi ā without an early voting period ā is an outlier among Southern states, as Louisiana, Georgia and Florida all offer an early voting period. This barrier to voting impacts many Mississippians across the political spectrum, especially those who work long hours, those with disabilities and those who lack reliable transportation. By implementing statewide early voting, Mississippi can make voting more convenient for all Mississippians, as well as alleviating long lines on Election Day. Another option would be to implement no-excuse absentee voting. Through either one of these policies, Mississippi would make voting more accessible to all voters, thereby improving our democratic process and increasing voter participation.
Early voting proved to be a popular mechanism, across party lines, during the November 2024 election. Nearly one half of all voters in Louisiana and Florida and over 70% of voters in Georgia and North Carolina cast early ballots. While studies show no-excuse absentee voting procedures do increase voter engagement, they found no benefit to any political party over another in turnout or total vote share. It is working all over the nation, and it is past due for Mississippi to join other states in making voting more accessible for all people.
Recommendations
- Permit no-excuse absentee voting; allow for permanent vote-by-mail requests with prepaid postage for ballot returns.
- Authorize automatic and same-day voter registration.
- Create an equitable statewide early voting program that includes at least two Saturdays before a primary or general election.
Strengthening Democracy and Voting Rights
Quick Facts
- Mississippi is the only state with a lifetime ban on voting for individuals convicted of felonies.
16%of Mississippiās Black population is disenfranchised.
- 1 in 10 adults in Mississippi are barred from voting due to a past criminal conviction.
- Research shows that allowing formerly incarcerated people to vote lowers recidivism rates.
Under Mississippiās Constitution, individuals convicted of certain felonies are prohibited from voting for life. After Florida restored the voting rights of felons in 2018, Mississippi remains the only state that has maintained this lifetime ban on voting. The origins of Mississippiās constitutional disenfranchisement date back to Reconstruction following the Civil War and are deeply tainted with racial bias. Crimes that were perceived as being committed more often by Black people, such as burglary and theft, resulted in losing oneās voting rights, while violent crimes more likely to have been committed by whites, such as murder or rape, did not. These laws were explicitly designed to suppress the rights of Black voters. Today, a staggering 16% of Mississippiās Black population is disenfranchised.
Overall, more than 230,000 Mississippians, or 1 in 10 adults in the state, are barred from voting due to a past criminal conviction. This policy undermines and creates barriers to reintegration into society for those who have completed their sentences. Voting allows individuals to make personal change and societal impact for their families and community. Ensuring people with prior convictions have access to participate fully in democracy is foundational to the rehabilitative process. Furthermore, research shows that allowing formerly incarcerated individuals to vote also lowers recidivism rates.
In August 2023, in response to a case brought by the SPLC and co-counsel ā Hopkins v. Hosemann ā the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit struck down Mississippiās disenfranchisement scheme. In this historic decision, the appeals court found that the Mississippi law ā which bars individuals convicted of certain crimes, some very minor, from voting in Mississippi for life ā was a violation of the U.S. Constitutionās ban against cruel and unusual punishment. Unfortunately, in July 2024, over the objection of six judges, the full Fifth Circuit panel overturned that decision, declining to restore voting rights to permanently disenfranchised Mississippians. Whatās more, the decision stated that Mississippiās felony disenfranchisement laws can only be changed by the stateās legislature.
Recommendations
- Address historical racial bias by removing legal barriers to enfranchisement.
- Approve legislation to revise the state Constitution ā and adopt any necessary companion legislation ā to enable the restoration of voting rights to individuals with past criminal convictions upon release from prison, regardless of outstanding fines, fees or restitution.
Dismantling White Supremacy
In recent years, we witnessed activists and politicians who advanced racist strategies to attack crucial anti-discrimination policies in K-12 and higher education settings. Our children deserve a truthful education about race and racism in this country. Attempts to quash these conversations are attacks on democracy, justice and community. Furthermore, they limit our ability, as a society, to deal frankly with our past or future. Students must learn the full picture of U.S. history, especially when it does not live up to our shared values. The U.S. is founded on ideals of liberty, freedom and equality, but built on slavery, exploitation and exclusion. Lesson plans and policies that suppress honest and vulnerable discussions and analysis of this history are harmful and fail to provide a path toward equity and mutual respect.
In addition to efforts to erase Black history from schools and to eliminate diversity and inclusion programs, a number of harmful polices that target the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth in Mississippi have been put forward. These include bills that prevent children from openly expressing themselves at school, playing on sports teams with their peers, or using the restroom in which they feel safe. As a result, LGBTQ kids and their families are forced to navigate ongoing and unacceptable obstacles to their educational futures and well-being.
Recommendations
- Reject the politicization of education. Instead, embrace the importance of teaching students to critically examine the history of slavery and racial discrimination, and value the cultures and diversity of the United States.
- Support the dignity of LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly youth. Reject policies that further harm children by censoring their personal expression, denying them access to educational materials, or putting them at greater risk of bullying or self-harm.
Ending Unjust Imprisonment
Quick Facts
15A Black child is suspended from school every 15 minutes in Mississippi.
- Black children are incarcerated at nearly four times the rate of non-Black children.
- It costs $155,125 a year to incarcerate a young person in Mississippi.
Mississippi students receive disparate discipline in school settings. Students with disabilities as well as Black and Brown children continue to confront disproportionately harsh discipline practices in Mississippi classrooms. Alarmingly, a Black child is suspended from school every 15 minutes in Mississippi.
Due to the lack of state guidance, many schools across the state enforce mandatory expulsion of students after their second incident of disruptive behavior. Additionally, there is no exception in the compulsory attendance law for absences related to a studentās disability. As a state with some of the highest school suspension and expulsion rates in the country, Mississippi has promoted a school-to-prison pipeline that contributes to the highest adult incarceration rate in the United States.
Incarceration is harmful to our youth and expensive to taxpayers. In recent years, Mississippi has incarcerated more and more children in juvenile facilities, while devoting fewer resources to community alternatives that could have a more positive impact and reduce state-spending overall. Children are our most valuable resource, but Mississippi is not investing in them. We suggest that Mississippi invest in an approach that points our youth toward success, not prisons. The SPLCās Only Young Once: The Case for Mississippiās Investment in Youth Decarceration report provides compelling data that underscores the need for a policy response that will address racial inequalities. For example, Black children are incarcerated at nearly four times the rate of non-Black children, and incarcerating a young person in Mississippi for one year ($155,125) is more expensive than the alternatives combined: the annual cost to educate a child in Mississippi public schools is $9,258; it costs $18,250 to fund community-based alternatives to incarceration; enrollment for Ole Miss and Mississippi State University is $41,210 annually.
Additionally, Mississippi has yet to meaningfully reinvest in programs and community-based alternatives to incarceration such as additional resources for counseling, tutoring and substance abuse treatment and investing in school policies and programs that have a proven impact on youth. Furthermore, the failure of Mississippi to accept federal funding available to expand Medicaid eligibility exacerbates challenges faced by those who are struggling economically. Children who have access to health care and food are much less likely to be part of the school-to-prison pipeline.
Recommendations
- Raise the minimum age of youth adjudication and incarceration in the state from 10 years to at least 14 years.
- Make nonviolent offenses and low-level drug offenses non-jailable for youth. Make technical violations and status offenses non-jailable and nonarrestable for youth.
- Fund diversion programs for youths as an alternative to incarceration. Examples include community-based alternatives, school-based policies and programs that prioritize rehabilitation, counseling, tutoring, and drug use treatment services.
- Amend all public education laws to ensure they are compliant with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
- Prioritize compliance with IDEA and ensure students receive the special education services they are entitled to under the law.
Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
Quick Facts
- In Mississippi, an estimated 175,000 children were living in poverty in 2022.
- 40% of children living in poverty in Mississippi are Black.
40%of children living in poverty in Mississippi are Black.
- Participation in the Summer EBT program would provide the state with nearly $38 million in federal food assistance dollars.
- The Summer EBT program would ensure a hungerfree summer for an estimated 300,000 eligible children.
Congress has long recognized the importance of food security programs. Beginning in 2011, it established and funded the Summer EBT pilot program. In 2022, with overwhelming bipartisan support, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which made the Summer EBT program permanent.
The summer Pandemic-EBT Program has proven to be a lifeline for countless Mississippi families, ensuring that children in households experiencing food insecurity receive the nourishment they need even when schools are closed. Day care centers also use the funds year-round to provide infants and toddlers with consistent access to healthy meals.
Over 28 million children across the nation participate in the USDAās school breakfast and lunch program during the academic year. However, this safety net has significant gaps ā only one in six children who eat free and reduced lunch participate in the summer meals program. In Mississippi alone, an estimated 175,000 children under the age of 18 were living in poverty in 2022, with 40% of those being Black children. According to USDA estimates, 300,000 children in Mississippi are eligible for summer EBT. Participation would provide our state with nearly $38 million in federal food assistance dollars to distribute to families with children experiencing food insecurity, ensuring that children have access to fresh, healthy foods and a hunger-free summer.
Further, according to the USDA, every dollar spent on food assistance generates local economic activity. Based on the number of eligible children, Mississippi could expect an expected economic impact of $58 billion to $70 billion from Summer EBT benefits.
Recommendations
- Provide adequate and continued funding for summer nutrition programs for school-aged children.
- Use the 2025 state budgeting process to appropriate necessary matching funds in preparation for the federal governmentās anticipated 2026 Summer EBT application window.
- Establish outreach to children and families who are eligible but not participating in the Summer EBT program.
Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
Quick Facts
34of Mississippiās 74 rural hospitals are struggling financially; at risk of closure.
- āMedicaid unwindingā has led to the removal of nearly 100,000 people from the stateās insurance program.
A key factor in achieving a thriving society is the health of its people. In a state that is routinely last in health care outcomes, those disparities are often magnified for rural, Black, and LGBTQ+ communities in Mississippi. Eradicating poverty and achieving equity starts with improving access to health care.
Federal law has empowered Mississippi to expand access to health care to its poorest citizens since 2014. For over a decade, Mississippiās lawmakers have failed to provide a pathway to utilize the available federal funding, and its residents have suffered unnecessarily. If Mississippi expanded Medicaid to cover those living at or below 138% of the federal poverty level, an estimated 125,000 individuals aged 19-64 would have health insurance immediately.
Mississippi is one of only 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid coverage to those falling into the health care access gap despite it being cost-effective to do so. Multiple studies show that additional tax revenue and cost savings for uninsured residents would more than cover the stateās outlay for Medicaid expansion that was not otherwise covered by federal dollars. According to a 2024 Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment report, at least 34 of Mississippiās 74 rural hospitals are struggling financially and at risk of closure. Driving factors for the crisis are a combination of rising costs of providing care and expenses related to uninsured community members. Medicaid expansion would help ease the financial burden for the facilities which would then prevent a health care desert by keeping the hospital and its well-paying jobs in the community as well as supporting the local economy and schools generally.
Further exacerbating access to care is Mississippiās destructive āMedicaid unwinding,ā which has led to the removal of nearly 100,000 people from the stateās insurance program. Not only has the legislature failed to ensure residents have access to affordable, quality health care, but they have made statutory changes in recent years that make it more difficult for those Mississippians seeking gender-affirming care to receive the necessary treatment. Everyone deserves access to quality medical care, uninfringed by politics or rhetoric.
Recommendations
- The Legislature should authorize the expansion of Medicaid in a way that enables them to accept the federal funding available to do so.
- The Legislature should restore those Mississippians removed from the rolls during the inhumane āunwindingā procedures this summer.
- The Legislature should prioritize funding for rural health clinics and mental health services.
- Ensure individuals and families can make medical decisions in consultation with their health care provider; allow medical professionals to provide care in accordance with their professional best practices and nationally recognized standard of care.
Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
Quick Facts
- Mississippi spends 5% of its $86.5 million annual TANF budget on cash payments to needy families.
- Of 190,000 Mississippi children living in poverty, less than 2,700 families received TANF assistance in 2022.
9%of people applying for TANF make it through the application process each month.
Mississippiās Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is in desperate need of reform. TANF is intended to offer temporary financial relief to families living in poverty by providing cash assistance benefits for families to purchase necessities such as food, clothing and shelter. Currently, Mississippi spends about 5% of its $86.5 million annual TANF award on cash payments to needy families, which means it spends less than 10% of its federal allocation on direct assistance.
We celebrate the recent administrative improvement, effective October 1, 2024, that extends eligibility to families with income of 50% of the federal poverty level (up from 25%). However, much more needs to be done to ensure that qualifying Mississippians receive critical direct cash assistance. Of the 190,000 Mississippi children living in poverty, less than 2,700 families received TANF assistance in 2022. In October 2024, it was reported that only 125 applications, or 9% of people applying for TANF, make it through the application process each month. For the few who do receive benefits, the monthly cash assistance remains among the lowest in the nation, doing little to alleviate the struggles of those in need.
Meanwhile, instead of reaching families experiencing financial crises, TANF funds have been misdirected toward a range of frivolous projects. Money that should have gone to struggling households with children was instead spent on horse ranches, personal trainers, motivational speeches that never occurred, and even the construction of a volleyball arena on a college campus. Such egregious abuses siphoned crucial resources away from the families who desperately needed them.
Mississippiās approach to TANF differs significantly from federal guidelines. For example, though federal law considers school an allowable work activity, Mississippi does not credit it as such. This means that many Mississippians who could be eligible for TANF because they are attending college are forced to choose between access to short-term cash assistance and the life-changing economic safeguard of education or workforce training.
Recommendations
- Increase the base amount of TANF assistance from $260 per month for a family of three to $510 and link benefit levels to a cost-of-living adjustment. This proactive measure is designed to prevent further erosion of benefits over time, ensuring that the assistance provided remains aligned with the actual cost of living without the need for regular legislative action.
- Allocate the nearly $150 million in unobligated reserves to essential services such as housing supplements, emergency assistance, and higher cash benefits.
- Credit education and job training as qualifying work activity, as allowable under federal law; this will allow recipients to build skills needed to achieve long-term financial independence.
- Simplify the enrollment process to make the program more accessible and remove barriers to enrollment such as drug testing and the family cap.
Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
Municipalities such as Jackson, Mississippi, are adopting local laws aimed at removing unhoused people from public spaces, instead of working to address the most direct challenge ā the lack of affordable homes for low-wage earners and other drivers of homelessness.
While Mississippi has the lowest rate of homelessness in the nation, the housing options available are often unsafe or nearly unlivable. Additionally, once people are housed, they often struggle to repair or maintain their homes. Solutions focused on stability and dignity, which enable individuals to rebuild financially and reintegrate into their communities ā without calls to criminalize people experiencing homelessness ā are crucial and should be the focus of state policies.
Recommendations
- Reinforce the dignity of its residents by allocating U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds to ensure quality, affordable housing for Mississippians ā regardless of their economic, physical, or mental health status.
- Address the needs of local unhoused populations and the drivers of homelessness by investing in alternative strategies, such as affordable and secure housing, which has proven successful nationwide.
- Reject criminal penalties for people experiencing homelessness who establish encampment areas or solicit assistance and provide pathways towards safe housing.
- Clearly define the rights of unhoused individuals and families to minimize interactions with law enforcement and unnecessary and harmful jail time.
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