TUPELO
⢠Uncertainty over a new residency requirement for municipal elections has now yielded litigation that could have statewide consequences.
A recent opinion from the Mississippi Attorney Generalâs Office interpreted a 2019 law to mean that candidates for municipal offices must have been a resident of the ward and the municipality theyâre wishing to represent for two years, which clashed with previous interpretation of the law.
The opinion was issued days before the qualifying deadline and has caused some candidates to drop out of races, while election commissioners and party committees have struggled with questions about whether to certify certain other candidates.