Mississippi Votes hosts voter rights prep event in Cleveland

At 303 Cotton Row in Cleveland, Mississippi Votes gathered residents for a poster-making party and Know Your Rights training aimed at the Mississippi Delta Day of Action. The session was designed to give participants voter-rights information, ready-made messaging and a clearer path into the July 11 Mississippi Delta Hearing and Rally.

The Cleveland stop fit into a broader Mississippi Day of Action campaign tied to the Mississippi Voting Rights Act Rapid Response Coalition, a statewide network of about 40 advocacy groups formed in November 2025 amid redistricting concerns. Organizers said the Mississippi Legislature refused to hold public hearings on voting rights, so they set up their own community hearings and rallies instead.

That strategy put Cleveland in the middle of a county where turnout questions carry real weight. Cleveland’s 2020 census population was 11,199, and 51.0% of residents identified as Black alone in Census Bureau QuickFacts. Bolivar County’s 2020 population was 30,985, with 62.1% identifying as Black alone. For a youth-driven group like Mississippi Votes, the city offered a place where first-time voters, young residents and longtime community members could get the same instructions before the next round of hearings.

The July 9 event was held at 303 Cotton Row, the address associated with The Atrium, a community and association venue in downtown Cleveland. It came as organizers were pushing beyond one gathering in the Delta. Additional Mississippi Day of Action events were scheduled for North Mississippi on July 14, East Mississippi on July 30 and Central Mississippi on August 14, extending the campaign across the state.

The organizing also landed in a state political climate still shaped by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais decision, which Mississippi voting-rights advocates have linked to renewed redistricting fears. Mississippi Votes has been circulating voter education tools alongside the events, including a free voter registration toolkit and links to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Y’all Vote resources for voter information.

For residents trying to understand what comes next, the Cleveland session was the practical entry point: make the signs, learn the rules and show up ready for the Delta hearing and rally.