JACKSON - The two men charged with guiding legislators through the redrawing of Mississippi's congressional districts know the stakes, and the pressure.
Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, and Rep. Tommy Rey-nolds, D-Charleston, have been through it before. Both are schooled in the redistricting process - its intricacies and nuisances.
"Tommy and I are at the point that we understand the options," said Bryan, the Senate Elections Committee chairman and vice chairman of the redistricting committee.
"We understand the consequences of doing X, Y or Z. And if there ever is a consensus reached as a policy matter, Tommy and I - either one - can produce a plan that will do that as long as we are not getting instructions to produce a round square," Bryan added.
The fruit of their labors could be only days away, a special legislative session to decide on the best map to reshape a four-district Mississippi.
Bryan and Reynolds, chairman of the House Elections Committee and chairman of the redistricting committee, appeared this week before The Associated Press editorial board.
Mississippi is losing one of its five congressional seats because it grew more slowly than many other states in the past decade. The Legislature is charged with drawing congressional district lines as well as those for the Mississippi House and Senate.
The U.S. Justice Department must approve Mississippi's redistricting plan to ensure fairness to minorities. The department would have 60 days to examine the state's submission.
Candidates for the 2002 congressional races must qualify by March 1, and that deadline could be threatened unless a plan is approved by the end of this year.
No date has been announced for a special session to deal with the new congressional districts. Reynolds said he expects that to come very soon, possibly by the end of the month.
At issue is how to draw the district in which two incumbents will compete. That is likely to be the two newest members of Congress - Republican Chip Pickering, who represents the 3rd District in the east central part of the state, and Democrat Ronnie Shows, who represents the southwest and parts of Jackson in the 4th District.
"Whatever plan we produce will have a political effect and you cannot get away from that. The notion that somehow this process can take place and it is done by a group of monks is just not possible," Bryan said.
Reynolds said there are strong differences of opinion on how to accomplish drawing the new districts. He said one of his concerns is protecting incumbents.
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