▁new ▁constitution ▁with ▁prov isions ▁to ▁dis enf ranch ise ▁most ▁black s ▁and ▁many ▁poor ▁whites ▁through ▁use ▁of ▁the ▁poll ▁tax ▁and ▁liter acy ▁tests ▁for ▁vot er ▁registration , ▁with ▁the ▁latter ▁admin ister ed ▁by ▁white ▁registr ars . ▁The ▁number ▁of ▁black ▁vot ers ▁fell ▁dr ast ically , ▁as ▁they ▁were ▁prevent ed ▁from ▁register ing . ▁This ▁was ▁the ▁reason ▁the ▁Democratic ▁Party ▁domin ated ▁state ▁and ▁federal ▁elections ▁in ▁Mississippi ▁into ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s . ▁ ▁For ▁ 1 1 6 ▁years ▁( from ▁ 1 8 7 6 ▁to ▁ 1 9 9 2 ), ▁Mississippi ▁was ▁essentially ▁a ▁one - party ▁state , ▁elect ing ▁Democratic ▁govern ors , ▁federal ▁represent atives ▁and ▁most ▁state ▁officials . ▁When ▁Mississippi ' s ▁constitution ▁passed ▁a ▁Supreme ▁Court ▁challenge ▁in ▁Williams ▁v . ▁Mississippi ▁( 1 8 9 8 ), ▁other ▁Southern ▁states ▁quickly ▁included ▁such ▁prov isions ▁in ▁their ▁own ▁new ▁constitution s , ▁draft ing ▁new ▁works ▁through ▁ 1 9 0 8 . ▁By ▁ 1 9 0 0 , ▁these ▁measures ▁effectively ▁dis f ranch ised ▁nearly ▁all ▁black ▁vot ers ▁in ▁Mississippi . ▁When ▁the ▁grand father ▁clause ▁was ▁struck ▁down ▁as ▁un const itution al ▁by ▁the ▁Supreme ▁Court ▁in ▁Gu inn ▁v . ▁United ▁States ▁( 1 9 1 5 ), ▁Mississippi ▁and ▁other ▁states ▁which ▁had ▁used ▁it ▁quickly ▁passed ▁other ▁stat utes ▁to ▁find ▁other ▁ways ▁to ▁restrict ▁black ▁registration ▁and ▁voting