State Suffrage Restoration Panel; create as an alternate process to having right to vote restored.

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To: Apportionment and
Elections
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Sanford

HOUSE BILL NO. 1661

AN ACT TO CREATE THE STATE SUFFRAGE RESTORATION PANEL; TO 1
ESTABLISH AN ALTERNATE METHOD TO THAT PROVIDED BY SECTION 253 OF 2
THE MISSISSIPPI CONSTITUTION OF 1890 FOR THE RIGHT TO VOTE TO BE 3
RESTORED TO ELIGIBLE PERSONS CONVICTED OF CERTAIN CRIMES; TO 4
PRESCRIBE THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE PANEL; TO ESTABLISH CRITERIA FOR A 5
PERSON TO BE GRANTED A CERTIFICATE OF ELIGIBILITY TO REGISTER TO 6
VOTE; TO PROVIDE THE PROCESS BY WHICH THE PANEL CONSIDERS AN 7
APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE; TO CLARIFY THAT A PERSON MAY STILL 8
SEEK TO HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE RESTORED THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE 9
PROCESS; TO REQUIRE JAILS AND CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES TO POST 10
MATERIALS ABOUT PROCEDURES TO HAVING ONE'S RIGHT TO VOTE RESTORED; 11
TO AMEND SECTION 23-15-11, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE 12
THAT PERSONS GRANTED A CERTIFICATE OF ELIGIBILITY TO REGISTER TO 13
VOTE ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE; TO AMEND SECTION 23-15-19, MISSISSIPPI 14
CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE QUALIFIED PERSONS GRANTED A CERTIFICATE 15
OF ELIGIBILITY TO REGISTER TO VOTE TO BE REGISTERED; TO AMEND 16
SECTION 23-15-33, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE 17
REGISTRAR TO REGISTER QUALIFIED PERSONS WHO PRESENT A CERTIFICATE 18
OF ELIGIBILITY TO REGISTER TO VOTE; TO AMEND SECTION 23-15-151, 19
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS 20
ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 21
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 22
SECTION 1. (1) (a) There is created the State Suffrage 23
Restoration Panel. The purpose of the panel is to create an 24
alternate method to that provided by Section 253, Mississippi 25
Constitution of 1890, for a person to be restored the right to 26
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vote after having been disenfranchised following a criminal 27
conviction. 28
(b) The State Suffrage Restoration Panel shall be 29
comprised of the following five (5) members: 30
(i) One (1) person appointed by the Governor, to 31
serve an initial term of five (5) years; 32
(ii) One (1) person appointed by the Lieutenant 33
Governor, to serve an initial term of four (4) years; 34
(iii) One (1) person appointed by the Governor 35
from a list of three (3) nominees submitted by the Speaker of the 36
House of Representatives, to serve an initial term of three (3) 37
years; 38
(iv) A representative of the Mississippi 39
Prosecutors Association selected by the association, to serve an 40
initial term of two (2) years; and 41
(v) A representative of the Mississippi Public 42
Defender Association selected by the association, to serve an 43
initial term of one (1) year. 44
(c) Upon the expiration of the initial terms, members 45
of the State Suffrage Restoration Panel shall serve a term of five 46
(5) years. 47
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person who 48
is otherwise a qualified elector under Section 23-15-11 who has 49
been convicted of a crime listed in paragraph (a) of this 50
subsection may apply to the State Suffrage Restoration Panel for a 51
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Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote if all of the 52
following requirements are met: 53
(a) The person has lost the right to vote by reason of 54
conviction in a state or federal court of: 55
(i) Vote fraud; 56
(ii) A crime listed in Section 241, Mississippi 57
Constitution of 1890; 58
(iii) A crime interpreted as disenfranchising in 59
Attorney General opinions; or 60
(iv) Arson of an uninhabited structure; 61
(b) The person has no criminal felony charges pending 62
against him or her in a state or federal court at the time of 63
application; 64
(c) The person has been released for five (5) or more 65
years and has had no other convictions, other than misdemeanor 66
traffic violations, since being released; 67
(d) The person has paid all fines, court costs, 68
assessments, fees and victim restitution ordered by the sentencing 69
court at the time of sentencing; and 70
(e) The person has successfully completed probation or 71
parole and has been released by the ordering entity. 72
(3) Upon receipt of an application under this section, the 73
State Suffrage Restoration Panel shall cause an investigation into 74
the application to be conducted. The investigation must include a 75
review of court records, records of the correctional system and 76
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records of the parole entity to establish that the applicant has 77
met the qualifications set out in subsection (2). An initial 78
report detailing the findings of the investigation shall be 79
prepared, including a statement as to whether the applicant has 80
successfully completed his or her sentence and has complied with 81
all eligibility requirements prescribed in subsection (2), and 82
submitted to all members of the State Suffrage Restoration Panel 83
for consideration. 84
(4) Upon receiving the report confirming a person's 85
eligibility for a Certificate of Eligibility, the State Suffrage 86
Restoration Panel shall provide notice to the sheriff and district 87
attorney in the county in which the conviction occurred that the 88
applicant has requested a Certificate of Eligibility to Register 89
to Vote. The panel also shall accept and consider letters written 90
in support of and opposition to the person's application with 91
attention given to factors such as the person's conduct and 92
productive reintegration into society since his or her release. 93
(5) If, after considering the report and any additional 94
information brought to the attention of the panel, it is clear 95
that the applicant has met the requirements of this section and 96
good cause does not exist to deny the applicant's request, the 97
State Suffrage Restoration Panel shall cause a Certificate of 98
Eligibility to Register to Vote to be prepared and presented to 99
the applicant. 100
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(6) In making a final determination on an applicant's 101
eligibility for a certificate, the panel is not required to 102
convene an in-person meeting of the full membership of the panel; 103
however, upon the request of one or more members of the panel, the 104
application must be considered by the full panel at a meeting 105
during which, in the panel's discretion, interested persons may be 106
heard on the application. 107
(7) If the initial report created pursuant to subsection (3) 108
states that an applicant has not met all of the eligibility 109
criteria set forth in subsection (2), but the report was submitted 110
properly and accurately, the panel may not issue the Certificate 111
of Eligibility to Register to Vote. The panel shall notify the 112
applicant of the decision and reason or reasons for the decision. 113
Upon completion of the eligibility requirements, the applicant may 114
submit a new application. 115
(8) The State Suffrage Restoration Panel shall adopt such 116
rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the 117
purposes of this section. The panel may create an application 118
form to assist applicants in the preparation and submission of 119
applications. The rules shall prescribe timeframes for completion 120
of the initial review of, and rendering a final decision on, an 121
application. 122
(9) This section does not affect the right of any person to 123
seek to have his or her voting rights restored in the manner 124
provided in Section 253 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890. 125
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(10) Each state or county correctional facility, prison or 126
jail shall post materials prepared by the State Suffrage 127
Restoration Panel notifying incarcerated individuals of the 128
requirements and procedures for having one's voting rights 129
restored. 130
SECTION 2. Section 23-15-11, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 131
amended as follows: 132
23-15-11. (1) Every inhabitant of this state, except 133
persons adjudicated to be non compos mentis, is a qualified 134
elector in and for the county, municipality and voting precinct of 135
his or her residence and is entitled to vote at any election upon 136
compliance with Section 23-15-563, if he or she: 137
(a) * * * Is a citizen of the United States of 138
America * * *; 139
(b) Is eighteen (18) years old and upwards; 140
(c) * * * Has resided in this state for thirty (30) 141
days and for thirty (30) days in the county in which he or she 142
seeks to vote, and for thirty (30) days in the incorporated 143
municipality in which he or she seeks to vote * * *; 144
(d) * * * Has been duly registered as an elector under 145
Section 23-15-33 * * *; and 146
(e) * * * Has never been convicted of vote fraud or of 147
any crime listed in Section 241, Mississippi Constitution of 148
1890 * * *. 149
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If the thirtieth day to register before an election falls on 150
a Sunday or legal holiday, the registration applications submitted 151
on the business day immediately following the Sunday or legal 152
holiday shall be accepted and entered in the Statewide Elections 153
Management System for the purpose of enabling voters to vote in 154
the next election. 155
(2) A person who is otherwise a qualified elector under 156
subsection (1) who has been convicted of a disenfranchising crime 157
shall have his or her right to vote automatically restored once he 158
or she has been granted a Certificate of Eligibility to Register 159
to Vote under Section 1 of this act. 160
(3) Any person who will be eighteen (18) years of age or 161
older on or before the date of the general election and who is 162
duly registered to vote not less than thirty (30) days before the 163
primary election associated with the general election, may vote in 164
the primary election even though the person has not reached his or 165
her eighteenth birthday at the time that the person seeks to vote 166
at the primary election. No others than those specified in this 167
section shall be entitled, or shall be allowed, to vote at any 168
election. 169
SECTION 3. Section 23-15-19, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 170
amended as follows: 171
23-15-19. (1) Any person who has been convicted of vote 172
fraud or any crime listed in Section 241, Mississippi Constitution 173
of 1890, such crimes defined as "disenfranchising," shall not be 174
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registered, or if registered the name of the person shall be 175
removed from the Statewide Elections Management System by the 176
registrar or the election commissioners of the county of his or 177
her residence. Whenever any person shall be convicted in the 178
circuit court of his or her county of a disenfranchising crime, 179
the county registrar shall thereupon remove his or her name from 180
the Statewide Elections Management System; and whenever any person 181
shall be convicted of a disenfranchising crime in any other court 182
of any county, the presiding judge of the court shall, on demand, 183
certify the fact in writing to the registrar of the county in 184
which the voter resides, who shall thereupon remove the name of 185
the person from the Statewide Elections Management System and 186
retain the certificate as a record of his or her office. 187
(2) A person who has been convicted of a disenfranchising 188
crime shall have his or her right to vote automatically restored 189
once he or she has been granted a Certificate of Eligibility to 190
Register to Vote under Section 1 of this act. 191
SECTION 4. Section 23-15-33, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 192
amended as follows: 193
23-15-33. (1) Every person entitled to be registered as an 194
elector in compliance with the laws of this state and who has 195
signed his or her name on and properly completed the application 196
for registration to vote shall be registered by the county 197
registrar in the voting precinct of the residence of such person 198
through the Statewide Elections Management System. 199
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(2) Every person entitled to be registered as an elector in 200
compliance with the laws of this state and who registers to vote 201
pursuant to the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 shall be 202
registered by the county registrar in the voting precinct of the 203
residence of such person through the Statewide Elections 204
Management System. 205
(3) Every person granted a Certificate of Eligibility to 206
Register to Vote under Section 1 of this act who is entitled to be 207
registered as an elector in compliance with the laws of this state 208
and who has signed his or her name on and properly completed the 209
application for registration to vote shall be registered by the 210
county registrar in the voting precinct of the residence of such 211
person through the Statewide Elections Management System. 212
SECTION 5. Section 23-15-151, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 213
amended as follows: 214
23-15-151. The circuit clerk of each county is authorized 215
and directed to prepare and keep in his or her office a full and 216
complete list, in alphabetical order, of persons convicted of 217
voter fraud or of any crime listed in Section 241, Mississippi 218
Constitution of 1890. A certified copy of any enrollment by one 219
clerk to another will be sufficient authority for the enrollment 220
of the name, or names, in another county. A list of persons 221
convicted of voter fraud, any crime listed in Section 241, 222
Mississippi Constitution of 1890, or any crime interpreted as 223
disenfranchising in later Attorney General opinions, shall also be 224
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ST: State Suffrage Restoration Panel; create as
an alternate process to having right to vote
restored.
entered into the Statewide Elections Management System on a 225
quarterly basis. Voters who have been convicted in a Mississippi 226
state court of any disenfranchising crime and who have not 227
registered to vote subsequent to being granted a Certificate of 228
Eligibility to Register to Vote are not qualified electors as 229
defined by Section 23-15-11 and shall be purged or otherwise 230
removed by the county registrar or county election commissioners 231
from the Statewide Elections Management System. 232
SECTION 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from 233
and after July 1 in the year following the year in which the 234
Secretary of State certifies the passage of the constitutional 235
amendment proposed in House Concurrent Resolution No. ___, 2026 236
Regular Session. 237