The House has voted to restore the right to vote to people who are on probation or parole for a felony conviction.
Missouri is one of 17 states that withhold the rights of convicted felons to vote until they complete probation or parole. The proposal would restore that right as long as the person’s crime was not related to voting.
The idea has bipartisan support and has been proposed by several legislators going back at least eight years. This latest effort is found in House Bill 2592, sponsored by Representative Melanie Stinnett (R-Springfield).
“Individuals who are living in our communities, working jobs, paying taxes, raising their children and complying with the terms of their probation or parole are still denied the right to vote,” Stinnett said, when introducing the bill in the House. “This bill reflects something I believe at my core: we can be firm, but we can also be fair. We can uphold accountability while also supporting successful reentry.”
Combined with Stinnett’s legislation were House Bills 2834, filed by Representative Kimberly-Ann Collins (D-St. Louis) and 2787, filed by Representative Marlon Anderson (D-St. Louis).
Collins has championed issues related to corrections and criminal justice since she first came to the House in 2021.
“Right now with the Department of Corrections, we have a little bit over 53,000 individuals that are under the supervision of the Missouri Department of Corrections by way of probation and parole, and this bill really does scream to the fundamental rights, the individuals who are paying taxes, have reintegrated into society. It gives that full idea that they should be able to participate in activities such as voting,” Collins said.
Anderson has proposed this change in each of his six years in the legislature. He says he believes in this largely because of what he experienced while working as a probation and parole officer.
“I met a person that was probably about 65 years who did 30 years in [Jefferson City Correctional Center], and he was on life supervision, and given the fact that he was on life supervision, he wasn’t able to vote. This was actually one of the first bills that I filed six years ago about that, to give people the opportunity to get their rights restored. I believe if you have [done] your debt to society, you should have all your rights restored,” Anderson said.
The House voted 107-36 to send that legislation to the Senate.
Photo credit: Representatives Kimberly-Ann Collins, Melanie Stinnett, and Marlon Anderson present legislation to restore voting rights to individuals on probation and parole to a House committee. (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)
Tagscriminal justice reform, Department of Corrections, Kimberly-Ann Collins, LaKeySha Bosley, Marlon Anderson, Melanie Stinnett, probation and parole, recidivism, suffrage, voting rights