JACKSON -- In 2011 when Democrats controlled the Mississippi House and attempted redistricting, their effort created a firestorm of protest in Corinth.

The Corinth Board of Aldermen passed a resolution urging the Republican-controlled state Senate to reject the House redistricting plan because it divided the city into two House districts. Corinth had traditionally been solely in District 2, which for years was represented by Democrat Harvey Moss, who is now retired.

The plan the House Democrats proposed in 2011 and that was roundly criticized by the Corinth Board would have divided Corinth between Moss's District 2 and District 1, which is represented by Lester "Bubba" Carpenter, R-Burnsville.

That redistricting effort eventually stalled because of partisan bickering over such issues as the division of Corinth.

This session, the House, under Republican control, also passed a redistricting plan that split Corinth between districts 1 and 2.

But this time around, there was nary a pique from Corinth government.

Redistricting is a political exercise where both sides try to gain an advantage. The issues in Corinth highlight that in a major way.

JACKSON --  District 20 under the new House redistricting plan includes most of northern Monroe County, a tiny fraction of southern Lee County and the tiniest southwest corner of Itawamba County.

Under the plan developed by the House Republican majority, there are 142 people in part of the Bigbee Fork precinct of Itawamba that will be placed in District 20 that is  represented  by Chris Brown, R-Aberdeen.

Nobody can say for sure why those people, who are currently in District 21, represented by Donnie Bell, R-Fulton, are being moved.

Redrawing 122 House districts to match population shifts in order to keep all districts close to equal in population is like putting together a big jigsaw puzzle.

And then, federal mandates must be followed, such as ensuring African American voter strength is not diluted while trying to not split geographic lines, such as those of cities and counties.

All in all, it is a difficult process than can make for some unusual districts.

Still, despite all those above-mentioned redistricting obstacles, the Bigbee Fork move is hard to understand.

By the way, 2,445 people in Nettleton and Petersburg precincts in Lee County will move into the primarily Monroe County-based District 20.

JACKSON -- The lieutenant governor, as presiding officer of the Senate, gets to vote only to break  ties in the 52-member chamber.

Republican Tate Reeves, who is in his first year as lieutenant governor, got to cast a vote earlier this week. Reeves voted against a motion to return to committee a bill that mandates school cannot start until the third Monday in August.

The motion was deadlocked 25-25. Reeves voted against the motion to recommit, which was a motion that would have killed the bill.

In reality, Reeves did not need to vote.  On a tie vote, the motion was defeated.

In a sense, Reeves' vote would have been meaningful only if he had voted for the motion to recommit. But Reeves was able to go on record in support  of mandating a later start for school -- a position supported by Gulf Coast tourism groups.

In reality whether Reeves voted or not, the outcome of the legislation rested in his hands. So if he supported the legislation, it made sense for him to vote as he did.

JACKSON-- The plan to get  charter schools passed by amending a bill in the Senate to include the charter school language and then the House concurring will not have the support of Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg.

Flaggs has been viewed as a likely vote for charter schools. And with the vote expected to be close in the House, his vote could be crucial. But he said his is against  circumventing the process, which he said would be done by amending a bill in the Senate and asking the House to concur.

He said the charter school concept needs to be fully debated in a conference committee.

The only problem is that if the bill that the Senate is considering amending goes to conference it is probably dead in the House because it would not withstand a point of order. If the vote is to concur and to send the bill to the governor, it would not be subject to a point of order

True, legislative rules can be confusing.