Lawsuit against voting rights for convicts in Mississippi
A federal lawsuit says Mississippi has enacted unfair barriers that stop former convicts from regaining their right to vote.
The suit, filed March 27th by Southern Poverty Law Center, says Mississippi’s system is “harsh, punitive, and unforgiving” and disproportionately hurts African-Americans.
Mississippi’s constitution specifies ten crimes for which convictions remove voting rights including murder, forgery, and bigamy. To regain their right to vote these former convicts must get permission from two-thirds of the legislature and the governor.
The lawsuit says only 14 people have managed this in the past five years. SPLC Attorney Paloma Wu said, “Mississippi’s system for disenfranchising Mississippians for life, for certain crimes, and then only giving them the right to vote back by absolute luck and political connection does not pass the lab test. It certainly does not pass the constitutional test.”
Criminal Law Attorney Christopher Holt said, “I think it’s something good. The Southern Poverty Law Center has done great work and I think it’s time that the laws do change and that it’s not just about punishment, it’s about redemption. Once they’ve paid their debt to society, they should be able to vote.”
The suit seeks automatic or uncomplicated restoration of voting rights for any person who completes a sentence for a disenfranchising crime.
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