By Staff
NEW DISTRICTS  State Rep. Greg Snowden, R-Meridian, stands in front of maps showing his new state House district. Snowden's new district will include parts of Lauderdale and Clarke Counties, as well as Marion, Enterprise, Meridian, Quitman and Stonewall the same name as his 7-year-old cat. Photo by Carisa McCain / The Meridian Star
By Fredie Carmichael/staff writer
March 23, 2002
State Rep. Greg Snowden can't even walk around his neighborhood block in North Meridian without leaving the confines of his new Mississippi House district.
So when he hits the streets to campaign for another term in the 2003 elections, Snowden said he'll likely have a detailed map handy to see exactly who is and isn't in his district.
Snowden's problem: His district was drastically changed this week when state lawmakers redrew all 122 state House and 52 state Senate district lines.
The remap happens every 10 years, as lawmakers try to reflect recent population shifts based on statistics and data from the most recent U.S. Census.
But this time around, 13 precincts in Lauderdale County will be split among several state House districts. Four of those precincts will be split three or more ways.
Strange districts
At the end of 14th Avenue, about 100 yards south of Snowden's house, is the boundary of a different district District 84, now represented by Eric Robinson, a Republican from Quitman.
Snowden's new House district will include parts of Lauderdale and Clarke Counties, as well as Marion, Stonewall, Enterprise, Meridian and Quitman.
Snowden's original district only included Lauderdale County and Meridian.
Different alternative
Snowden said he and Robinson got together shortly after the new House maps were unveiled Tuesday and worked on an alternative to present to the redistricting committee for consideration.
But that failed.
Snowden said he would have liked to have had more input on how the maps were drawn. Snowden said lawmakers "were not given any input. It was a selective process."
Robinson agreed