If, as an editorial published August 24, 2010 in this space opined, “Political wars are won during the redistricting process,” Panola County should be a sore loser over the Senate redistricting plan that the legislature is approving as these words are written.

Panola County has now been sliced and diced into three Senate districts: District Nine, comprised of Lafayette County and seven Panola County precincts; and District Eleven, comprised of Tunica and Quitman counties as well as 12 Panola and seven Coahoma County precincts.

Then there’s District 14. Three Panola precincts are tagged to the northern end of a district that claims portions of seven counties and another in its entirety, from Panola to Attala County.
(See map, story starting on page 1A)

According to a technical paper (www.sig.msstate.edu/files/2009-60-01.pdf ) on legislative redistricting published by the Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University in 2009, factors that states may take into consideration when drawing up new districts include “recognition of the extant political subdivision, making districts compact, and … preserving the core of prior districts.”

An argument can be made that Panola County residents in the east share a community of interest with adjacent Lafayette County and that residents of western Panola share a similar bond with residents of Quitman and Tunica counties. But District 14 looks like the map maker strung together leftover pieces.
Under the plan approved — now also by the House as these lines are written — we will have the county divided into three Senate districts and two House districts. The implications are that our county-wide community of interest is diluted at state level.

What’s more, the incumbent Senator serving Panola County will represent (unless litigation forces earlier elections) Panola County for three more legislative sessions even though he will not be seeking votes in Panola County when he seeks re-election in 2015.

The slicing and dicing of Panola County’s representation at the state level raises the challenge facing elected representatives at the county level.  For Panola County to wield influence over what happens in the legislature, Panola supervisors and the Panola Partnership will have to approach with one voice the state Senators representing each new district when it comes to issues facing Panola County.

We experienced a similar situation prior to the 2000 Census. After 1990 Census, Panola County was split between the First and Second Congressional Districts. Our leadership was then able to cultivate the interest of both Congressman Bennie Thompson and Roger Wicker.

That is how the county can avoid faring less well with state representation during the foreseeable future.

We will need to project such united influence from the county level that we will have three senators working in our interests instead of one or two.

That’s how we avoid losing sorely.