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Read. Follow. Verify.Mississippi Senate Bill 2325 establishes executive order process to restore voting rights and expunge records after full pardons
Last action · February 3, 2026: 02/03 (S) Died In CommitteeSponsor: Sollie Norwood
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What This Bill Proposed
Senate Bill 2325 authorizes the Governor to restore voting rights to individuals previously disqualified by a once they have completed their sentence and paid all court fines and fees. The legislation requires the Department of Corrections or sentencing courts to automatically report eligible individuals to the Governor, updates election management systems, and mandates that individuals granted a full executive pardon are entitled to have their criminal records d.
The measure alters the restoration process for voting eligibility by enabling executive order reinstatements after sentence completion and fine payment, while establishing automatic reporting channels across state correctional and judicial agencies starting July 1, 2026.
- Under historical Mississippi constitutional provisions, individuals convicted of certain disenfranchising crimes lost their right to vote permanently unless their suffrage was restored individually by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature or by a constitutional amendment. context
- Senate Bill 2325 was introduced during the 2026 Regular Session of the Mississippi Legislature by Senator Norwood and referred to committee, where it died. context
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 disenfranchising crimes
Individuals who complete their sentences and pay court fees become eligible to have their voting rights restored via an executive order and may petition for record expungement following a full pardon.
Mississippi Department of Corrections
The department is required to investigate records and automatically provide regular written reports to the Governor regarding individuals eligible for pardons or suffrage restoration.
County election commissioners and circuit clerks
Officials must maintain files of executive orders, update voter rolls and pollbooks accordingly, and remove ineligible voters or process new registrations based on verified executive orders.
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
What conditions must be met for a person to have their voting rights restored under this bill?
How are eligible individuals reported to the Governor for suffrage restoration?
What happens to a person's criminal record if they receive a full pardon from the Governor?
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, 2026Senate02/03 (S) Died In Committee
- Jan 19, 2026SenateCommittee01/19 (S) Referred To Judiciary, Division 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.
Streamlined Executive Restoration of Suffrage
The bill shifts from reliance solely on individual legislative acts under Section 253 to a standardized executive order process managed through automated agency reporting.
Connected Entities
Sources
billstatus.ls.state.ms.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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