Bill > HB88

This bill seeks to restore voting rights to individuals with criminal convictions upon completion of their full sentence, which is defined as the term of incarceration plus five years of probation or parole. The legislation makes several key changes to Mississippi's voter registration laws, including requiring the Secretary of State to create and maintain an up-to-date, publicly accessible database of disenfranchising crimes and the criteria for restoring voting rights. The bill mandates that election commissioners and registrars receive training to ensure they correctly implement these new voting rights restoration procedures. It also requires the Secretary of State and Mississippi Department of Corrections to collaborate in helping formerly convicted individuals be placed back on voter rolls. The bill eliminates previous barriers that permanently prevented people with certain criminal convictions from voting, instead establishing a clear path to re-enfranchisement after completing the full defined sentence. Additionally, the legislation includes provisions to make the voter registration process more transparent, such as ensuring that people are not required to provide documentary evidence of sentence completion to register to vote and creating an online system for verifying voting eligibility.

Government Affairs

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2025/pdf/history/HB/HB0088.xml