Election commissioners update voter rolls

By By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
October 7, 2004
Some inmates in prison may never vote again.
There are 21 crimes listed as disenfranchising crimes under state law. In Mississippi, a person convicted of one of those crimes could lose their right to vote forever, unless they successfully petition the Legislature or governor to reinstate their right to vote.
Most states, according to David Blount, spokesman for Secretary of State Eric Clark, reinstate a felon's right to vote after his or her sentence has been completed.
Also under state law, it is up to election commissioners to identify people who are no longer legal voters in the county and who should be removed from the voter rolls, including deceased people, people who moved out of the county, and those who have been convicted of a crime resulting in the loss of their voting rights.
Blount said that job will be easier in the future because proposals from computer companies are being collected to link the state's 82 counties so information can be shared on people who do not belong on the voter rolls.
The secretary of state's office is hoping to maintain the first centralized statewide computer database in time for statewide federal elections in June 2006. The cost to build and maintain the system is estimated at $10 million, with 95 percent coming from federal funds and 5 percent coming from already appropriated state matching funds.
Here are the 21 crimes that disenfranchise voters in
Mississippi. Only the Legislature or governor can restore the right to vote to someone convicted of one of these crimes:
Arson
Armed robbery
Bigamy
Bribery
Carjacking
Embezzlement
Extortion
Felony bad check
Felony shoplifting
Forgery
Larceny
Murder
Obtaining money or goods under false pretense
Perjury
Receiving stolen property
Robbery
Statutory rape
Theft
Timber larceny
Unlawful taking of an automobile