Thread by @ashtonpittman

NEW: Mississippi lawmakers could prohibit voters from changing the state's abortion laws with ballot initiatives—if they decide to restore voters' ability to put issues on the ballot at all.

Polls show most Mississippians oppose the Dobbs ruling. #MSLeg
mississippifreepress.org/31631/alive-at…

After voters approved medical-marijuana by ballot initiative in 2020, the Mississippi Supreme Court struck down the ballot initiative process on a technicality in 2021, which killed efforts to use it to expand Medicaid and implement an early voting system. mississippifreepress.org/12703/democrac…

The new ballot initiative system would be much more limited. Voters could only use it to change general state laws, not the state constitution.

And unlike the old system, which required about 106,000 verified signatures, the new one would require 240,000.
mississippifreepress.org/31631/alive-at…

Mississippi voters have voted against broad abortion restrictions at the ballot box before.

In 2011, Mississippians voted against the anti-abortion Personhood Amendment by a 58%-42% margin.

Lawmakers later passed 15-week and then 6-week bans.
mississippifreepress.org/18093/10-years…

Though Mississippi is the state that led the successful effort to overturn Roe v. Wade at the U.S. Supreme Court, polls show that a majority of Mississippi voters disagree with the decision and do not support broad abortion bans like the one in effect now.
mississippifreepress.org/25784/poll-mos…

The latest move in the Legislature could mean that, even if voters do get their ballot initiative rights back, and even if a majority want of voters want to use it to restore some abortion rights, they will not be able to. #MSLeg
mississippifreepress.org/31631/alive-at…

Read our full roundup with @KayodeCrown for more details and to see which other bills remain alive at #MSLeg: mississippifreepress.org/31631/alive-at…

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