1895 Mississippi gubernatorial election

A new state constitution was adopted in 1890, which extended Stone's term to six years. Determined to keep control and maintain white supremacy, the Democratic-dominated legislature effectively disfranchised most African Americans in the state by adding a requirement to the constitution for voter registration for payment of poll taxes. Two years later, they passed laws requiring literacy tests that were administered by white officials in a discriminatory way. These requirements, with additions in legislation of 1892, resulted in a 90% reduction in the number of blacks who voted in Mississippi.[1] In most counties a handful of prominent black ministers and local leaders were allowed to vote. African Americans were essentially excluded from the political system for 70 years, until after passage of federal civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s.[1]

In the general election, Democratic candidate Anselm J. McLaurin, a former U.S. Senator, defeated Populist nominee Frank Burkitt, a newspaper editor and state representative.