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To: Elections; Constitution
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) Barnett
SENATE BILL NO. 2048
AN ACT TO CREATE THE "RESTORATION OF VOTING RIGHTS ACT"; TO 1
PROVIDE THAT A PERSON WHO WAS DISQUALIFIED AS AN ELECTOR FOR THE 2
COMMISSION OF NONVIOLENT FELONIOUS CRIMES SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO 3
VOTE RESTORED AUTOMATICALLY UPON COMPLETION OF THE SENTENCE, 4
PAYMENT OF ALL FINES AND RESTITUTION AND A SEVEN-YEAR NONOFFENDING 5
PERIOD FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF HIS OR HER SENTENCE; TO AMEND 6
SECTIONS 23-15-11 AND 23-15-19, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN 7
CONFORMITY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 8
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 9
SECTION 1. (1) This section shall be known and may be cited 10
as the "Restoration of Voting Rights Act." 11
(2) (a) Except as provided by Section 99-19-37, any person 12
who has lost the right of suffrage under Section 241 of the 13
Mississippi Constitution of 1890, or under any statute enacted by 14
the Legislature under Section 244A of the Mississippi Constitution 15
of 1890, but was convicted of a nonviolent felony or felonies, 16
shall automatically be restored suffrage only when that person has 17
fully completed all of the following: 18
(i) The individual has fully served all the terms 19
of his or her sentence, including any term of incarceration, 20
parole, probation or post-release supervision; 21
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(ii) The individual has paid all fees, fines and 22
restitution associated with the conviction; and 23
(iii) The individual has remained crime- and 24
arrest-free in the seven-year period following the full completion 25
of sentence and any term of incarceration, parole, probation or 26
post-release supervision. 27
For the purpose of this act, "nonviolent felony" shall be 28
defined as any felony that does not involve the use or threat of 29
physical force or violence against another person or result in the 30
significant harm to individuals or property, as prescribed by law. 31
(b) Upon satisfaction of the requirements in paragraph 32
(a) of this subsection, the person's right to vote shall be 33
restored by operation of law as though an act had been passed by 34
the Legislature in accordance with Section 253 of the Mississippi 35
Constitution of 1890 restoring the right of suffrage to the 36
person. If a person whose suffrage has been restored under this 37
act shall appear in the registrar's office to register as a 38
qualified elector, the person's name shall be entered on the 39
pollbooks if the person is otherwise a qualified elector. 40
SECTION 2. Section 23-15-11, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 41
amended as follows: 42
23-15-11. Every inhabitant of this state, except persons 43
adjudicated to be non compos mentis, who is a citizen of the 44
United States of America, eighteen (18) years old and upwards, who 45
has resided in this state for thirty (30) days and for thirty (30) 46
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days in the county in which he or she seeks to vote, and for 47
thirty (30) days in the incorporated municipality in which he or 48
she seeks to vote, and who has been duly registered as an elector 49
under Section 23-15-33, and who has never been convicted of vote 50
fraud or of any crime listed in Section 241, Mississippi 51
Constitution of 1890, shall be a qualified elector in and for the 52
county, municipality and voting precinct of his or her residence, 53
and shall be entitled to vote at any election upon compliance with 54
Section 23-15-563. If the thirtieth day to register before an 55
election falls on a Sunday or legal holiday, the registration 56
applications submitted on the business day immediately following 57
the Sunday or legal holiday shall be accepted and entered in the 58
Statewide Elections Management System for the purpose of enabling 59
voters to vote in the next election. Any person who will be 60
eighteen (18) years of age or older on or before the date of the 61
general election and who is duly registered to vote not less than 62
thirty (30) days before the primary election associated with the 63
general election, may vote in the primary election even though the 64
person has not reached his or her eighteenth birthday at the time 65
that the person seeks to vote at the primary election. If a 66
person has been convicted of a nonviolent felony crime or crimes 67
for which disenfranchisement has been prescribed by the 68
Mississippi Constitution of 1890 or by statute, but the individual 69
is eligible to vote under the provisions of Section 1 of this act, 70
the person shall not be disqualified as an elector due to the 71
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conviction and shall have his or her name restored to the 72
Statewide Elections Management System. No others than those 73
specified in this section shall be entitled, or shall be allowed, 74
to vote at any election. 75
SECTION 3. Section 23-15-19, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 76
amended as follows: 77
23-15-19. Any person who has been convicted of vote fraud or 78
any crime listed in Section 241, Mississippi Constitution of 1890, 79
such crimes defined as "disenfranchising," shall not be 80
registered, or if registered the name of the person shall be 81
removed from the Statewide Elections Management System by the 82
registrar or the election commissioners of the county of his or 83
her residence. Whenever any person shall be convicted in the 84
circuit court of his or her county of a disenfranchising crime, 85
the county registrar shall thereupon remove his or her name from 86
the Statewide Elections Management System; and whenever any person 87
shall be convicted of a disenfranchising crime in any other court 88
of any county, the presiding judge of the court shall, on demand, 89
certify the fact in writing to the registrar of the county in 90
which the voter resides, who shall thereupon remove the name of 91
the person from the Statewide Elections Management System and 92
retain the certificate as a record of his or her office. If a 93
person has been convicted of a nonviolent felony crime or crimes 94
for which disenfranchisement has been prescribed by the 95
Mississippi Constitution of 1890 or by statute, but the individual 96
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ST: Suffrage; restoration upon completion of
sentence and other conditions for individuals
convicted of nonviolent crimes.
is eligible to vote under the provisions of Section 1 of this act, 97
the person shall not be disqualified as an elector due to the 98
conviction and shall have his or her name restored to the 99
Statewide Elections Management System. 100
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from 101
and after the date that the constitutional amendment proposed in 102
Senate Concurrent Resolution No. ____, 2026 Regular Session, is 103
approved by the electorate. 104