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Can you vote with a felony in Mississippi?

The short answer

It depends.

In Mississippi, only some felony convictions take away the right to vote. People with one of those convictions have to apply to get it back.

In Mississippi, a conviction for one of the crimes on the state's list of disenfranchising crimes, such as murder, theft, forgery or voter fraud, takes away the right to vote for life unless it is restored, and restoration is never automatic: it takes an individual suffrage bill passed by two-thirds of the Legislature, a governor's pardon, or, for some people discharged from probation, a governor's executive order. A conviction for a crime that is not on the list does not take away the right to vote, even in jail or prison; since July 1, 2024, people held in jail or prison in the county where they are registered who have not been convicted of a disenfranchising crime can vote by absentee ballot. The Secretary of State's list is the official guide to which convictions count.1,2,3

Checked October 22, 2026 against 7 sources, starting with Mississippi law, then by a second reader.

  1. In prison for a felonyDepends1,2,3
  2. On paroleDepends2,3
  3. On probationDepends2,3
  4. Sentence completeMust apply first2
Check with Mississippi's election office

Before you register

Your state or county election office can confirm your own status, for free. Voting while ineligible can carry criminal penalties, so if anything about your case is unclear, ask them first. The general election is November 3, 2026; registration deadlines are on vote.gov.

How the right comes back

Only by applying

The Secretary of State describes three routes, none automatic: (1) ask a state senator or representative to introduce a suffrage bill at the next session; the Legislature may restore the right by a two-thirds vote of all members elected to both houses (Miss. Const. art. 12, § 253); (2) a person discharged from probation by the court of original jurisdiction can make a written request to their field officer, who sends a report of the person's probation record to the Division of Community Corrections, which presents it to the Governor, who may restore suffrage by executive order at his discretion (Miss. Code Ann. § 47-7-41); or (3) a governor's pardon (Miss. Const. art. 5, § 124), which requires publishing the pardon request for thirty days in a newspaper in the county where the crime was committed (or an adjoining county if there is none) and including proof of publication with the petition. People convicted only of crimes not on the list never lose the right and need no restoration. After restoration, the person would register through the circuit clerk; the official sources opened don't describe that step.2

When the right doesn't come back on its own

  • Arson
  • Bribery
  • Extortion
  • Larceny
  • Perjury
  • Robbery
  • Theft
  • Carjacking
  • Larceny under lease
  • Armed robbery
  • Felony bad check
  • Felony shoplifting
  • Statutory rape
  • Timber larceny
  • Unlawful taking of a motor vehicle
  • Receiving stolen property
  • Obtaining money or goods under false pretense
  • Bigamy
  • Embezzlement
  • Forgery
  • Murder
  • Rape
  • Voter fraud

Miss. Const. art. 12, § 241 declares qualified to vote a person 'who has never been convicted of murder, rape, bribery, theft, arson, obtaining money or goods under false pretense, perjury, forgery, embezzlement or bigamy' (text as quoted by the en banc Fifth Circuit). The Secretary of State's 2025 list names these 23 disenfranchising crimes, drawn from § 241, Cotton v. Fordice, 157 F.3d 388 (5th Cir. 1998), and an Attorney General opinion (In re Heggie, 2009), and says Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-11 bars anyone convicted of voter fraud or any disenfranchising crime from being a registered voter. The loss lasts for life unless restored through one of the routes in restoration_detail. On July 18, 2024, the en banc Fifth Circuit held in Hopkins v. Watson that § 241's lifetime ban does not violate the Eighth Amendment, and on January 27, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court denied review.2,3,4

Fines, fees and restitution

Not confirmed

The Secretary of State's document doesn't say whether fines, fees or restitution must be paid before a suffrage bill, executive order or pardon.

Registering again

Not confirmed

We couldn't confirm whether a new registration is needed. The election office can tell you.

Misdemeanors and jail

The Secretary of State describes disenfranchising crimes as felony convictions (for example, felony bad check and felony shoplifting); the official sources opened don't say that any misdemeanor affects voting.2

People held before trial have not been convicted, so they keep the right to vote. Since July 1, 2024, Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-713(i) lets any qualified elector who is incarcerated in prison or jail in the county where they are registered, and has not been convicted of a disenfranchising crime, vote by absentee ballot.1

Convictions from another state or federal court

Not stated in the official sources opened.

What's changed

January 27, 2025: The U.S. Supreme Court denied review in Hopkins v. Watson (No. 24-560), the challenge to Mississippi's lifetime voting ban for disenfranchising crimes, leaving in place the en banc Fifth Circuit's July 18, 2024 decision upholding it (Nos. 19-60662, 19-60678). Earlier, House Bill 1406 (2024), effective July 1, 2024, added an absentee-voting category for qualified electors held in jail or prison in their home county who have not been convicted of a disenfranchising crime. In the 2026 session, every general restoration bill and proposed constitutional amendment died; the Governor approved some individual suffrage bills for named people on April 8, 2026.4

The law

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This page explains Mississippi's general rules from its law and election office. It isn't legal advice, and a case can turn on the details of a sentence. The election office can confirm your status.

Spot something out of date? Tell us at contact@secondchanceindex.com.

Cite this page

Second Chance Index, "Can you vote with a felony in Mississippi?" https://secondchanceindex.com/voting-rights/mississippi, checked October 22, 2026.

Sources

Each source was opened and checked on October 22, 2026.

  1. Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-713(i) (as amended by 2024 H.B. 1406)
  2. Disenfranchising Crimes (2025)Mississippi Secretary of State
  3. Hopkins v. Watson, No. 19-60662 c/w No. 19-60678 (5th Cir. July 18, 2024) (en banc)U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  4. Docket No. 24-560, Hopkins v. WatsonSupreme Court of the United States
  5. Election FAQs (links the current Disenfranchising Crimes document)Mississippi Secretary of State
  6. 2026 Regular Session: Report of All MeasuresMississippi Legislature
  7. 2024 Regular Session: Report of All Measures (HB 1406: Law without Governor's signature, May 14)Mississippi Legislature