Mississippi state elections in 2020 were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Its primaries were held on March 10, 2020, with runoffs taking place on June 23.[1]
In addition to the U.S. presidential race, Mississippi voters elected the Class II U.S. senator from Mississippi, all of Mississippi's seats to the House of Representatives, and four of nine seats on the Mississippi Supreme Court. They also voted on three ballot measures.[1]
See main article: 2020 United States presidential election in Mississippi.
See also: 2020 Mississippi Democratic primary and 2020 Mississippi Republican primary.
Mississippi has six electoral votes in the Electoral College.
See main article: 2020 United States Senate election in Mississippi.
See main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Mississippi.
Three U.S. Representatives in Mississippi were up for election, in addition to one open seat.[2]
All four incumbents whose seats were up for reelection were running again.[3]
| Ballot Measure 1 Legalization of medical marijuana | |
| Location: | Mississippi |
| Flag Image: | Bicentennial Banner of Mississippi.svg |
| 65: Should Mississippi allow qualified patients with debilitating medical conditions, as certified by Mississippi licensed physicians, to use medical marijuana? 65A: Shall Mississippi establish a program to allow the medical use of marijuana products by qualified persons with debilitating medical conditions? | |
| Status: | ended |
| Choice1: | For approval of either Initiative 65 or 65A |
| Percentage1: | 61.65 |
| Choice2: | Against both Initiative 65 or 65A |
| Percentage2: | 28.32 |
| Choice3: | Choice: For Initiative 65 |
| Percentage3: | 57.89 |
| Choice4: | Choice: For Initiative 65A |
| Percentage4: | 20.68 |
| Website: | https://www.sos.ms.gov/Elections-Voting/Pages/2020-General-Election.aspx |
| Ballot Measure 2 Removal of statewide electoral college | |
| This amendment provides that to be elected Governor, or to any other statewide office, a candidate must receive a majority of the votes in the general election. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, then a runoff election shall be held as provided by general law. The requirement of receiving the most votes in a majority of Mississippi House of Representative's districts is removed. | |
| Location: | Mississippi |
| Flag Image: | Bicentennial Banner of Mississippi.svg |
| Yes: | 984,788 |
| No: | 257,314 |
| Ballot Measure 3 Approval of new state flag design | |
| Location: | Mississippi |
| Flag Image: | Bicentennial Banner of Mississippi.svg |
| Yes: | 943,918 |
| No: | 349,522 |
Legalization of medical marijuana comes with two choices for voters. The first vote is for the approval of either initiative or neither. The following choice is between either 65 or 65A. Voting for Initiative 65 supports approving the medical marijuana amendment as provided by Initiative 65, which would allow medical marijuana treatment for 22 specified qualifying conditions, allow individuals to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana at one time, and tax marijuana sales at the current state sales tax rate of 7%.Voting for Alternative 65A supports approving the legislature's alternative medical marijuana amendment, which would restrict smoking marijuana to terminally ill patients; require pharmaceutical-grade marijuana products and treatment oversight by licensed physicians, nurses, and pharmacists; and leave tax rates, possession limits, and certain other details to be set by the legislature.[4]
Initiative 65 would legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces (71 g) of medical marijuana for people with 22 kinds of pre-existing conditions. It would also implement a tax for medical marijuana, allow its consumption in all but public places, cap the cost for medical marijuana ID cards at $50 per card, issue these cards by August 15, 2021, and delegate administration of medical marijuana to the state Department of Health. Alternative 65A would legalize possession of an as-of-yet unspecified amount of medical marijuana for terminally ill patients with as-of-yet unspecified pre-existing conditions, would not necessarily delegate responsibility for administration to the state Department of Health, would not cap costs for medical marijuana ID cards, would not set a tax rate for the substance and would not set a deadline by which cards had to be issued.[5]
| Initiative 65 | Initiative 65A | |
|---|---|---|
| Introduced by petition | Introduced by legislature | |
| 22 specified diseases | No specified diseases | |
| Allows all specified diseases to smoke | Only terminally ill patients can smoke, others in other forms such as pills | |
| Start date: August 2021 | No specified start date | |
| Free market | Limited license cap | |
| Tax capped at 7% | Allows legislature to set sales tax rate, potentially at higher levels such as alcohol or tobacco | |
| Regulated by Mississippi State Department of Health | State agency to be named |
A "yes" vote supports the following: removing the requirement that a candidate for governor or elected state office receive the most votes in a majority of the state's 122 House of Representatives districts (the electoral vote requirement), removing the role of the Mississippi House of Representatives in choosing a winner if no candidate receives majority approval, and providing that a candidate for governor or state office must receive a majority vote of the people to win and that a runoff election will be held between the two highest vote-getters if no candidate receives a majority vote.
A "no" vote opposes this amendment to establish runoff elections for governor and state offices, thereby maintaining the electoral vote requirement and that the House of Representatives will vote for a winner if no candidate receives a majority or in the event of a tie.[6]
See main article: 2020 Mississippi flag referendum. Voters may vote either yes to adopt the new flag or no to oppose adopting the new state flag. If the new proposed flag is rejected by voters, the Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag will reconvene, design another flag, and allow voters to approve or reject it at a special election in November 2021.[7]