Mississippi House Bill HR7

Mississippi 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/16/25
• Refer: 1/16/25
• Failed: 4/3/25

Caption

Suffrage bills; require the Rules Committee to establish factors for passage of.

Impact

By instituting clear criteria for suffrage bill passage, this resolution aims to ensure that those who have served their sentences for disenfranchising crimes can more easily understand and navigate the process of regaining their voting rights. Factors determining eligibility must be objective and not overly burdensome, with a focus on criteria like completing sentence terms or not having been recently incarcerated. This could potentially lead to an increase in the number of individuals eligible to vote, altering the electoral landscape in Mississippi.

Summary

House Resolution 7 proposes an amendment to the House Rules that establishes a new House Rule 104C. This rule mandates that any committee which considers suffrage bills must create and publicly post a list of factors or criteria that will guide the determination of which suffrage bills will advance. This is intended to promote transparency and fairness in the legislative process surrounding voting rights, especially for individuals who have had their voting rights affected by previous convictions.

Contention

While the intention behind this bill is framed as one of transparency and accessibility, there might be contention surrounding the specifics of the criteria established. Opponents may argue that the criteria could still unintentionally create barriers, especially if the defined offenses and their stipulations are viewed as restrictive. Moreover, the process of publishing criteria may not address underlying concerns regarding the fairness of disenfranchisement laws themselves, which could be a point of debate among lawmakers and civil rights advocates.