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Read. Follow. Verify.Mississippi HB 862 automatically restores voting rights to individuals with felony convictions upon completion of sentence
Last action · February 3, 2026: 02/03 (H) Died In CommitteeSponsor: Earle Banks
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 862 suspends voting rights upon a felony conviction but automatically restores them once the individual has satisfied all sentencing requirements. The measure updates state election statutes and the to process these automatic restorations.
The bill shifts voter restoration procedures from individual legislative pardons or specific legal processes to an automatic system tied directly to the completion of all sentencing requirements, directly altering voter roll eligibility for individuals with felony records.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
individuals convicted of a felony
Their voting rights are suspended upon conviction and automatically restored upon the full satisfaction of all sentencing requirements.
county registrars and election commissioners
They are required to update the Statewide Elections Management System, purge disqualified voters, and automatically restore voter names upon completion of sentencing requirements.
Office of the Secretary of State
The office must procure, implement, and maintain the electronic system capable of handling automated voter restorations and maintaining centralized databases.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is a convicted felon's right to vote restored under this bill?
What happens to a voter's registration status in the Statewide Elections Management System upon felony conviction?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 3, 2026House02/03 (H) Died In Committee
- Jan 16, 2026HouseCommittee01/16 (H) Referred To Judiciary B;Constitution
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Transition to Automatic Voter Restoration
The legislation replaces discretionary or separate petition processes with an automatic restoration mechanism tied directly to the satisfaction of criminal sentencing requirements.
Connected Entities
Sources
billstatus.ls.state.ms.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy80Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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