1987 Mississippi ballot measures

none thumb|Sample ballot of the 1987 constitutional amendmentsNovember 1, 1987 Constitutional amendments https://www.newspapers.com/image/278154095/ March 2, 2026 Hattiesburg American Newspapers.com February 28, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260228120440/https://www.newspapers.com/image/278154095/ live |alt=A black-and-white newspaper cutout of a sample ballot of the 1987 constitutional amendments On November 3, 1987, the U.S. state of Mississippi held referendums on ten state-level constitutional amendments, with topics ranging from repealing a defunct interracial marriage ban to requiring political candidates to live in the district they hope to represent. None of the ballot measures faced organized opposition and all ten passed. Of the ten amendments, all but one, Amendment 3, passed by margins of approximately 40%. Amendment 3 passed by just 3.52%. Since 1912, this has remained the largest number of ballot measures decided by Mississippi voters in a single year. History Beginning with the Constitution of 1832, the legislature of Mississippi has held the power to refer proposed amendments to the state constitution to the ballot for approval or rejection by the state's voters.The Mississippi Constitution of 1832 https://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/issue/mississippi-constitution-of-1832 February 25, 2026 Mississippi History Now "Mode of Revising the Constitution." June 9, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250609065947/https://mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/issue/mississippi-constitution-of-1832 live Before then, with the 1817 Constitution, which was the state's first constitution,Skates John Ray August 2000 Constitutions of Mississippi https://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/issue/constitutions-of-mississippi February 25, 2026 Mississippi History Now https://web.archive.org/web/20250604113928/https://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/issue/constitutions-of-mississippi June 4, 2025 the legislature could only place a question on the ballot asking whether a constitutional convention should be held.The Mississippi Constitution of 1817 https://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/issue/mississippi-constitution-of-1817 February 25, 2026 Mississippi History Now Section 1 of "Mode of Revising the Constitution" https://web.archive.org/web/20251115091146/https://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/issue/mississippi-constitution-of-1817 November 15, 2025 A total of 62 constitutional amendments have been referred to the ballot in Mississippi since 1912, with 60 coming from the state's legislature, and the other 2 initiated by citizens.List of Mississippi ballot measures https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_Mississippi_ballot_measures February 25, 2026 Ballotpedia https://web.archive.org/web/20250108124845/https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_Mississippi_ballot_measures January 8, 2025 In the 1987 election, ten amendments were referred to voters, which remains the largest number of measures voted on by Mississippi voters in a single year since 1912. Reception thumb|A cartoon that calls on voters to look into the 1987 ballot measures|alt=A black-and-white newspaper cartoon that calls on Mississippi voters to look into the 1987 ballot measures There was no organized opposition to any of the 10 measures on the ballot,November 1, 1987 Voters must decide on 10 amendments https://www.newspapers.com/image/278154080/ March 2, 2026 Hattiesburg American Newspapers.com nor did any create "legislative fireworks". At the time, many newspapers, including The Clarion-Ledger, the Hattiesburg American, and the Sun Herald, wrote editorials in favor of a constitutional convention taking place so that larger changes could occur at a single time, rather than requiring individual amendments.November 3, 1987 Go vote https://www.newspapers.com/image/181157086/ February 26, 2026 The Clarion-Ledger Newspapers.com February 25, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260225113959/https://www.newspapers.com/image/181157086/ live October 30, 1987 Amendments should have our support https://www.newspapers.com/image/278424888/ February 26, 2026 Hattiesburg American Newspapers.com January 29, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260129235357/https://www.newspapers.com/image/278424888/ live October 19, 1987 Amendments are better than nothing https://www.newspapers.com/image/743833273/ February 28, 2026 Sun Herald Newspapers.com The Sun Herald's argument in favor of a convention, for example, was because of its belief that the 1890 constitution was "cluttered", and that a majority of the constitution's provisions "belong in statutory law." Ballot measures Mississippi voters decided on the ten amendments on November 3, 1987.Mississippi 1987 ballot measures https://ballotpedia.org/Mississippi_1987_ballot_measures March 8, 2026 Ballotpedia November 10, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221110081433/https://ballotpedia.org/Mississippi_1987_ballot_measures live 200px Map key #28497C 80–90% (yes) #47729E 70–80% (yes) #7D9CBB 60–70% (yes) #B6C8D9 50–60% (yes) #DEDEBD 50–60% (no) #BCBC83 60–70% (no) + 1987 Mississippi ballot measuresAmendmentDescriptionJune 2002 Referenda and Primary Election Materials Part 28: Referenda Elections for Mississippi https://ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/1/1b/Referenda_Elections_for_Mississippi_1968-1990.pdf March 2, 2026 Ballotpedia https://web.archive.org/web/20260518165132/https://ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/1/1b/Referenda_Elections_for_Mississippi_1968-1990.pdf May 18, 2026YesNoResults mapMolpus Dick Dick Molpus Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 1988-1992 1989 575–589Method of referral and effect of amendmentNo. Number of votes receivedPct. Percentage of votes receivedNo. Number of votes receivedPct. Percentage of votes received1Constitutional amendment to allow a person to use their will to leave any or all of their estate to a charity, religious institution, education institution, or civil institution, so long as the will adheres to state laws and is made at minimum 180 days before the individual dies; and to increase the maximum time period that any of the aforementioned organizations could legally hold specific interests in land that was willed to them, to not longer than 10 years367,45073.12135,04926.88frameless|243x243px|alt=A map of Mississippi's counties shaded by different colors to display the results of Amendment 1.House Concurrent Resolution No. 7; Section 270 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890 amended2Constitutional amendment to require the state legislature to establish, maintain, and support free public schools; to repeal a section that has the aforementioned requirements but for each county; and to repeal a section allowing the state legislature to abolish free public schools within the state and allowing counties and school districts to do the same353,31771.30142,21128.70frameless|243x243px|alt=A map of Mississippi's counties shaded by different colors to display the results of Amendment 2.House Concurrent Resolution No. 9; Section 201 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890 amended, and Sections 205 and 213-B of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890 repealed3Constitutional amendment to repeal an unenforceable ban on interracial marriages between a white person and a Black person and interracial marriages between a white person and a mulattoNovember 6, 1987 Slim vote repeals interracial marriage ban https://www.newspapers.com/image/315971611/ The Clarksdale Press Register Newspapers.com Associated Press March 9, 2026 January 31, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260131081828/https://www.newspapers.com/image/315971611/ live 264,06451.76246,13548.24frameless|243x243px|alt=A map of Mississippi's counties shaded by different colors to display the results of Amendment 3.House Concurrent Resolution No. 13; Section 263 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890 repealed4Constitutional amendment to remove the La Bauve Fund Trustee from the Mississippi College Board and to require the state legislature to appoint a trustee for the aforementioned fund at the University of Mississippi341,69271.00139,54029.00frameless|243x243px|alt=A map of Mississippi's counties shaded by different colors to display the results of Amendment 4.House Concurrent Resolution No. 19; Section 213-A of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890 amended5Constitutional amendment to require candidates running for the Mississippi House of Representatives to live in the district for which they are running382,63278.23106,45621.77frameless|243x243px|alt=A map of Mississippi's counties shaded by different colors to display the results of Amendment 5.House Concurrent Resolution No. 41; Section 41 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890 amended6Constitutional amendment to allow county and circuit court judges to deny bail if the offense has evident proof and is punishable by a maximum of 20 or more years, or life, imprisonment, if releasing the person who was arrested would cause a "special danger" to the public; to require the judge who makes such decision to record their reasoning; and to grant any individual denied bail the ability to appeal for an emergency hearing before a Mississippi Supreme Court justice 394,10079.8499,52120.16frameless|243x243px|alt=A map of Mississippi's counties shaded by different colors to display the results of Amendment 6.Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 534; Section 29 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890 amended7Constitutional amendment to repeal the prohibition of transportation corporations issuing stocks or bonds if the corporation does not receive money, labor, or property in return; and to repeal the section that makes void the fictitious increase of stock and indebtedness344,43071.96134,22028.04frameless|243x243px|alt=A map of Mississippi's counties shaded by different colors to display the results of Amendment 7.Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 548; Section 196 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890 repealed8Constitutional amendment to delete provisions that set the limit of charters for private corporations to 99 years333,90570.02142,95429.98frameless|243x243px|alt=A map of Mississippi's counties shaded by different colors to display the results of Amendment 8.Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 549; Section 178 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890 amended9Constitutional amendment to repeal a section that allows for corporate stockholders to use their shares to vote for all directors or one candidate; to allow the topic of preferred stock without voting; and to prohibit a director from specific competing business interests without the consent of the stockholders336,13870.43141,15329.57frameless|243x243px|alt=A map of Mississippi's counties shaded by different colors to display the results of Amendment 9.Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 550; Section 194 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890 repealed10Constitutional amendment to repeal a section providing that charters which are granted to private corporations must be recorded in the chancery clerk's officeEach of Mississippi's 82 counties have one chancery clerk,August 5, 2010 Chancery clerks’ pay over state cap https://cdispatch.com/news/chancery-clerks-pay-over-state-cap/ March 8, 2026 The Commercial Dispatch https://web.archive.org/web/20260518171826/https://cdispatch.com/news/chancery-clerks-pay-over-state-cap/ May 18, 2026 with the job entailing recording and making public the official minutes of the Board of Supervisors, writing and signing checks for payments, archiving records, overseeing the storage and disposal of numerous county records, and other areas, including matters of estates and guardianships, and other areas similar to those.Chancery Clerk https://www.pearlrivercounty.net/187/Chancery-Clerk March 8, 2026 Pearl River County, MS December 31, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20251231205708/https://pearlrivercounty.net/187/Chancery-Clerk live of the county in which the headquarters of such corporation is located335,11969.74145,42730.26frameless|243x243px|alt=A map of Mississippi's counties shaded by different colors to display the results of Amendment 10.Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 551; Section 189 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890 repealed Notes References Mississippi Politics 1980s Category:1987 in Mississippi Category:1987 Mississippi elections Category:Mississippi ballot measures Category:Ballot measures in the United States Category:November 1987 in the United States Category:1987 ballot measures in the United States