JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
New Hinds County voting lines and redistricting plans are now in the hands of the Justice Department.
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors' legal department said additional redistricting information requested by the Department of Justice was sent May 4.
Board Attorney Crystal Martin said D L Johnson Consultants completed and submitted the required statistical data.
Martin said since Hinds County submitted its original redistricting maps for consideration, the Department of Justice requested additional information in consideration of the submission.
The additional information is as follows:
Election returns for all elections from 1999 to present in an electronic format (.txt file) on a CD disk;
Each candidate's name, party, race, and incumbency status for each election;
Number of votes each candidate received by precinct;
Number of registered voters by precinct from 2005 to present;
Total number of persons who voted by precinct;
Current number of registered voters by precinct and
Total population and voting age population by race for each precinct using 2010 census data.
"While this information is kept within the normal course of business in other states across the country, the State of Mississippi does not register the electorate by party affiliation. This is a declaration of whether a person is Republican or Democrat. In other instances, information is not readily kept in the manner requested by the Department of Justice," said Martin.
Last May, the Justice Department informed the board that the information submitted by Johnson was insufficient.
Others complained that maps and plans weren't made public soon enough for debate or revision.
A June deadline was missed.
"Hinds County has since provided all of the information that it currently has available as of May 4, 2012, and awaits the approval of its submission," added Martin.
Martin said maps were originally sent to the Justice Department in 2011 and now awaits the approval of its submission
Johnson's firm was hired by the Jackson City Council in December.
Current Rules Committee Chairman, Ward One Councilman Quentin Whitwell, said Johnson was selected by then Rules Committee Chairman Kenneth Stokes.
Johnson's firm was chosen in a 4-3 vote Whitwell recalled.
The Ward One representative said he conducted an investigation that revealed Johnson has not submitted work to the Justice Department for several clients.
According to Whitwell, a Rules Committee meeting will be held Thursday at 10 a.m. to discuss whether they should move forward with that contract.
He said redrawn ward lines need to be submitted to the D.O.J. by October to early November.
Our calls to Derrick Johnson and the Department of Justice requesting comments have not been returned.
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