Washington (CNN) The winner of Mississippi's gubernatorial election Tuesday will not only have to capture the state's popular vote, but will also have to prevail in the state's unique election process for electing a governor and other statewide officials that was established during the Jim Crow era.

Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, is running against Attorney General Jim Hood, a Democrat. While Hood already faces a challenge in capturing the state's popular vote -- Cook Political Report recently labeled the race as "leans Republican" -- the state's unusual election process could also complicate his path to the governorship.

A candidate needs a majority in the popular vote and needs to win a majority of Mississippi's 122 state house districts. If no candidate fulfills both of these requirements, the Mississippi House of Representatives, which is controlled by Republicans, selects the winner.

The election process, as written in the state's constitution in 1890, was enacted at a time when white Southerners were putting in place laws to deny blacks political power.

Critics of the system have said it "dilutes" the African American vote in favor of white districts and officeholders.

Read More