Riding up and down the old roads in his thunderstorm-gray countytruck, District Two Supervisor Bobby Watts has noticed a fewchanges around his domain in northeast Lincoln County.

It’s getting bigger.

“I’m having mobile homes move all over District Two. It’s reallygrown,” Watts said. “A lot of it is a man and his wife been livinghere all his life, his son and daughter have moved off, but nowthey’re coming back and putting a trailer on momma and daddy’splace. People are coming up here putting in mobile homes and camperhomes. Now, there’s so much traffic ’till people are running offthe roads.”

Next year, the growing population of District Two could bereflected on new county maps after Lincoln County undergoesredistricting, an act of redrawing the boundaries of the fivedistricts to ensure each holds an equal percent of totalpopulation. Redistricting is required every 10 years once theresults of dicentennial censuses are released to keep districtsaligned with the “one man, one vote” policy.

Depending on the numbers, redistricting may not be necessary. Ifthe district with the lowest population is within 10 percent of thedistrict with the highest population, the boundaries will remainfor another 10 years.

If that amount between high and low reaches or exceeds 10percent, the lines will be redrawn. Redistricting could see ahandful Lincoln County citizens residing in new districts, underthe leadership of new supervisors and voting at new precincts.

Supervisors would want any redistricting plan to include as fewchanges as possible, and some changes can’t be made. Redistrictingis not allowed to compromise the racial identity of a district -District One must maintain its 65 percent black population or itsboundaries would have to envelop territory from neighboringdistricts to make up the difference.

Supervisors have already begun thinking about the potentialchanges next year, and on Monday heard a presentation from MikeSlaughter, founder of planning firm Slaughter and Associates, PLLC,which worked with Brookhaven on the 2007 annexation. Based on thenumber of former Louisiana residents who stayed in Mississippiafter fleeing from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Slaughter predictedredistricting would be necessary in Lincoln County.

“If I had to bet $100, I’d say you’ll have to redistrict becauseof Katrina and location,” he said. “There’s been tremendouspopulation change in the three counties above the coast, 15 to 20percent growth.”

If redistricting is necessary next year, it will throw in awrench in county election procedures. Population data from the U.S.Census will not be available until Feb. 1, and the qualifyingdeadline for county elections is March 1.

But Mississippi is one of nine mostly southern states that mustcomply with “preclearance,” Section Five of the Voting Rights Act,which requires any changes to voting districts to be given approvalby the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ has 60 days to reviewthe changes and can take another 60 days if necessary.

If the DOJ used its maximum time allotted – 120 days – toapprove Lincoln County’s redistricting plan, the qualifyingdeadline would be three months past. Candidates might findthemselves no longer living in the district in which they intendedto run by the time the changes were finalized.

“I can’t imagine getting your data and doing a plan with thepublic hearing in less than 120 days,” said board attorney BobAllen, who has handled county redistricting plans since 1983.”There are three solutions to this. One is for the Legislature topostpone the qualifying deadlines, two is to file suit in federalcourt to enjoin the justice department from enforcing the VotingRights ACt and three is to get Congress to postpone the impositionof the Voting Rights Act. The best case scenario is through theLegislature.”

Redistricting wouldn’t all bad, however. Supervisors will havethe opportunity to approve a redistricting plan that could correcta few small mistakes made last time around.

“We drew the lines up and some things we missed – we actuallyhad some folks on the same road voting at different precincts,”said supervisors president Doug Moak. “Voting precincts are kind oflike churches and schools. People want to stay at the sameplace.”