Piave, Jones and Wade voters set for special election to choose state senator

From Staff Reports

Despite having done so just over a year ago, a group of roughly 1,300 registered Greene County voters will be asked to go back to the polls later this summer to vote in a special election for who will represent them in the Mississippi Senate.
Even though they just participated in statewide elections in 2023, voters in the Jones, Wade and Piave precincts of Greene County face a special election to fill the Dist. 42 seat in the State Senate after a 3-judge federal panel determined portions of the map lawmakers used in that election diluted Black voting strength. The panel ordered the state to redraw certain areas of the map and Dist. 44 was 1-of-14 districts impacted by the ruling.
As of Tuesday, 30 candidates had filed paperwork to compete in special elections for the state Legislature this year. Those include incumbent Senator Robin Robinson, who won the 2023 election for the seat. Donald Hartness and Randy Robinson have registered to challenge Robinson in the Republican Primary, which is set for Aug. 5. The deadline for candidates to submit papers to political parties was 5 p.m. on Monday, and party leaders have until Friday to verify the candidates’ qualifications.
The general election is set for Nov. 4, but since no Democrats qualified for the Dist. 42 seat, the Republican Primary will be the deciding vote.
Senate Dist. 44, which encompasses Forrest, Lamar and Perry counties will also require a special election. Incumbent Chris Johnson has qualified to run for his seat again. Republican Christopher Lott and Democrat Shakita Taylor also submitted qualifying papers ahead of Monday’s deadline