Poll: Majority of Mississippi voters support property tax elimination, school choice, restoration of the ballot initiative

Poll: Majority of Mississippi voters.

Key points

• The top current voter reservations included inflation (22.2%), crime (19.1%), healthcare (14.7%), reducing taxes (13.5%) and education (9.8%).
• Republicans prioritize crime (26%), inflation (21%) and taxes (18%) while Democrats lead with healthcare (28%) and inflation (24%).
• Consolidation faces opposition from voters who earn less than $50, 000 annually by 50%, black voters by 49%, and women by 42%.
• While Democrats split 40% to 39%, republicans backed full repeal of property taxes by 67%.
• The polling published by Speaker White indicates Mississippi voters now largely oppose (47.9%) the continued recruitment of data centers to Mississippi.

Poll: Majority of Mississippi voters backing property tax elimination, school choice, restoration of the ballot initiative. By: Frank Corder – October 13, 2026.

In practice, a new poll by Cygnal published by Speaker Jason White additionally demonstrates that Mississippi voters now largely oppose the continued recruitment of data centers to the state and see inflation as a top concern.

According to new polling data published by Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives Jason White (R), a majority of voters in the Magnolia State backing school choice, would like to see the ballot initiative process restored, want property taxes eliminated, and oppose recruiting more data centers to the state.

In practice, the statewide poll of 501 probable general election voters in Mississippi was shared by White on Tuesday. It was done by Cygnal, one of the nation's most accurate polling groups, earlier this month using known registered voters spread throughout the state's four congressional districts who were interviewed via phone and text.

"The members of the Mississippi House believe the work of improving our state is work worth doing. Future generations of Mississippians are counting on us to obtain it right, " Speaker White stated. "The House has vision and is looking to move Mississippi forward with informed, verifiable data."

For context, the top current voter reservations included inflation (22.2%), crime (19.1%), healthcare (14.7%), reducing taxes (13.5%) and education (9.8%). Redistricting, restoring the ballot initiative process, and infrastructure all polled less than 6%.

Speaker White and the Republican supermajority in the Mississippi House of Representatives has created expanding school choice a top priority over recent years, with efforts gathering their demise throughout the Capitol in the Senate.

Yet, the latest polling demonstrates White and the House continue to be on solid footing with voters as a majority of respondents (41.1%) expressed backing for Magnolia Student Accounts that allow eligible families employ a portion of public education funding for approved expenses like private school tuition, tutoring, or transportation.

When asked if they backed creating a school choice program in Mississippi like in other states where student test scores have improved in both public and private schools as of rose options and competition, 50.1% remarked yes.

Further, 42.2% of respondents remarked they would be more probable to backing a candidate if he/she supports school choice in Mississippi compared to 24.4% who remarked they would be less probable to backing that candidate. Republicans remarked more probable by 52%.

Speaker White established a House Select Committee on Property Taxes this year, asking lawmakers to examine Mississippi's property tax framework, explore reforms that provide relief to homeowners and businesses, and evaluate long-term strategies to ensure fairness and sustainability in local administration funding.

As has been pursued in other states, hearings have been held with more to come as lawmakers consider how to address property tax reduction or elimination.

According to the poll shared by White on Tuesday, 56.6% of respondents backing eliminating property taxes on homestead property in Mississippi and 70.2% backing eliminating property taxes on homestead property for Mississippians age 65 and older.

When asked which they would prefer – eliminating the real property tax on homestead property or eliminating car tag fees – 50.7% remarked property tax.

While Democrats split 40% to 39%, republicans backed full repeal of property taxes by 67%. Black voters, nevertheless, preferred eliminating car tag fee by 46%.

But eliminating property tax is a costly endeavor as those revenues are applied to fund city, county, and local school district operations.

Respondents in the poll were split on how to create up the lost revenue, with 29.3% supporting raising the state's 7% sales tax and 34.6% supporting lawmakers allowing a local option sales tax that cities and counties could choose to adopt. Another third (36.2%) were unsure.

House Education Committee Chairman Rob Roberson (R) has been a vocal proponent of exploring school and district consolidation as the number of public school students has steadily fell in Mississippi while costs of education continue to climb.

According to The recent poll, some lawmakers are considering consolidating school districts to reduce administrative costs, meaning combining districts that at present each have their own superintendent, central office, and school board into a single district with one superintendent, one central office, and one school board, while keeping local schools open.

Respondents were almost equally split to that consolidation, with 36.9% in backing and 37.8% resisted.

Consolidation faces opposition from voters who earn less than $50, 000 annually by 50%, black voters by 49%, and women by 42%. Men (46%) and Republicans (47%) backing consolidation.

Mississippi has been without a ballot initiative since the 2021 state Supreme Court decision on Medical Marijuana Initiative 65 invalidated the process on the basis that the signature threshold in the state constitution could not be met.

Meanwhile, the former initiative process required signatures to come from five congressional districts when Mississippi now only has four.

Efforts to restore the process have failed in multiple sessions, with the sticking point between the House and Senate being over the signature threshold required to place initiatives on the ballot.

Lawmakers have observed in prior sessions that 24 states do not have a ballot initiative process. Mississippi was among the 26 states that did prior to the state Supreme Court striking down the process.

Notably, the poll published by Speaker White indicates solid backing for restoring the process in Mississippi at 72%. A higher percentage were recorded as unsure (12.2%) than being resisted to the restoration of the initiative (7.9%).

Republicans backing restoration by 78%, Independents by 75%, and Democrats by 66%.

Mississippi has seen billions of dollars flow into the state over recent years as data centers have located in the central and northern regions.

Nevertheless, public sentiment has turned against the economic development projects during this midterm election cycle as politically aligned special interest groups have targeted data centers throughout the U.S.

For context, a Fox News report in September observed how "some experts are sounding the alarm on the various left-wing groups and climate activists who are pouring money and resources into data center opposition campaigns."

"Several left-wing organizations backing data center opposition have benefited from major progressive funding networks, including Public Citizen, which has listed George Soros' Open Society Foundations among foundations whose 'generous support' makes its work possible, and the Sierra Club, which received $3.6 million from Arabella Advisors' Sixteen Thirty Fund between 2014 and 2022, " Fox News documented. "CodePink, which has targeted data center projects, has received funding linked to socialist megadonor Neville Roy Singham. This person has deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party. As the U.S. And China battle for global AI dominance.", fox News Digital previously documented that Singham funneled roughly $285 million into six activist nonprofits.

Notably, the polling published by Speaker White indicates Mississippi voters now largely oppose (47.9%) the continued recruitment of data centers to Mississippi. Only 28.3% backed the state's efforts to bring in more data center investments.

Cygnal remarked concern concerning electricity costs outweighed the promise of jobs throughout almost every group.

Women oppose further data center recruitment by 51%, and voters who create less than $50, 000 per year expressed opposition by the same percentage. Voters earning over $100, 000 annually additionally resisted continued data center recruitment by 50%.

Definite Republican voters, by contrast, backing recruitment of future data centers by 43%, not a majority.

Overall responses to the question, "Would you say things in Mississippi are headed in the right direction or off on the wrong track?" were split, with 42.8% saying the Magnolia State was headed in the right direction and 45.4% saying otherwise.

Nevertheless, a deeper look indicates that only 20% of Republican respondents noted Mississippi is on the wrong track.

Black voters remarked the state was on the wrong track by 76%, with voters in the 2nd Congressional District, represented by 30-plus year incumbent Democrat Congressman Bennie Thompson sharing that sentiment at 66%.

Taken together, the developments around poll: Majority of Mississippi voters support property tax elimination, school choice, restoration point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.