Citing fears of dark money and special interests usurping the state’s constitutional republic, the Senate on Wednesday tabled a bill aimed at restoring Mississippi voters’ right to put issues directly on a ballot and sidestep the Legislature.

The move, for the fifth year since the state Supreme Court invalidated the former process for ballot initiative in the state Constitution, effectively snuffed out this year’s push for reinstating the ballot initiative. The measure faces a Thursday night deadline for passage and is not likely to be brought back up after the Senate tabled it with a voice vote. The House does not have a similar ballot initiative measure pending.

Had the measure passed, voters would have had to ratify it to amend the state Constitution in a statewide election. As it was presented, the measure also contained a safety clause that would have required more debate and another vote before it could have passed the Legislature.

Sen. Joel Carter, a Republican from Gulfport, made the motion to table the measure.

“You’ve got these big groups that have got the ability to raise a bunch of money and put things on the ballot,” Carter said. “… It’s not really about an initiative amongst the people … There’s big money behind ballot initiative, and that’s what we got elected for, to make tough decisions and make hard votes …

“This is not a good bill,” Carter said. “It’s a terrible bill.”

Other lawmakers, mostly Republicans, argued against the measure Wednesday before it was tabled.

Some warned that it could allow voters — with the help of special interest money — to reinstate abortion rights in Mississippi, despite the resolution containing a clause prohibiting abortion ballot initiatives.

Sen. Angela Burks Hill, a Republican from Picayune, said other states are looking to roll back ballot initiative rights and warned “leftist billionaires” could use it to restore abortion rights and overturn other conservative policy in Mississippi.

“The dark money coming in is pushed by the most leftist billionaires abroad and in the United States,” Hill said. “George Soros is one of the largest funders of ballot initiatives across the country.”

Some Democratic lawmakers, although supportive of ballot initiative generally, had issues with particulars of the proposal, and were planning to offer amendments before it was tabled.

Mississippi voters’ right to ballot initiative has been in the state Constitution since 1914, but the state Supreme Court threw it out in 1922. The initiative went dormant until the Legislature and voters restored the right by passing a measure in 1992, allowing voters to amend the state constitution. But the Supreme Court again nullified it on technical grounds in 2021 in a ruling on a lawsuit over voters passing a medical marijuana initiative.

During the 30 years that the state had an initiative, only seven proposals made it to a statewide ballot: two initiatives for term limits, eminent domain reform, voter ID, a personhood amendment, medical marijuana, and a measure requiring lawmakers to fully fund public education.

Of those seven, voters only approved eminent domain, voter ID and medical marijuana. The rest were rejected.