“Voter diversification.” The phrase popped into my head about midnight on the special-election election day, Nov. 5, 2025, for several legislative seats. News editor Ashton Pittman had just posted the soon-viral news that the voters in several races that day broke the Republican supermajority in the Mississippi Legislature, with the state Democratic chairman declaring, “We are a battleground state.”
Not to mention, I got the distinct impression that Ashton was the only state editor savvy enough to see what was happening as it was unfolding. Sure, it was helped by court-ordered re-redistricting away from maps designed to keep a (white) Republican supermajority, but that doesn’t make it not a huge moment. To me, as Ashton’s story went viral nationally, the most dramatic part was that our state was defying the, well, bigotry of low expectations that the nation and too often our own voters have for us here.
But let me be clear: I don’t like the two-party system (or, God help us, the electoral college designed to support a certain powerful majority). I’m not a big fan of parties, period. The real shame, though, is that not enough Mississippians, or Americans, bother to vote—and too many are barred in various ways.
So I invited Mississippi native and Lincoln Project co-founder Stuart Stevens to join Ashton and me for another conversation, this time digging into non-partisan voter diversification—not by party, but based on access and engagement. On Monday, January 12, at 6 p.m. via Zoom, we are going to dig deep into what keeps people away from the polls and how it’s possible for you, the people, to change that. As a former Republican strategist, Stuart knows politics and elections across parties well. This conversation will transcend partisanship; we all know there are many people of both major parties disconnected from the voting process.
This special event kicks off two months of MFP Membership Months, where we are urging readers to join our MFP VIP club with a recurring membership (monthly, quarterly, annually); it’s a good way to use that special $1,000 charitable write-off we’re all getting in 2026! And you get access to all past member talks with prominent changemakers.
But for this one, you can attend if you’ve ever donated or by donating any amount now. We’d love a huge turnout for the second in our Impact Talks, so please give now at mfp.ms/donate, and we’ll send you a registration link!
See you Monday. And have a happy and engaged new year!
This MFP Voices opinion essay reflects the personal opinion of its author(s). The column does not necessarily represent the views of the Mississippi Free Press, its staff or board members. To submit an opinion for the MFP Voices section, send up to 1,200 words and sources fact-checking the included information to voices@mississippifreepress.org. We welcome a wide variety of viewpoints.