Open Letter
To The Mississippi Legislature
We are extremely disappointed that our state legislature has once again failed to ensure Mississippi supports equal access to the voting box by ending the state’s discriminatory felony disenfranchisement laws. A failure to end these laws reveals that some of our elected officials are complicit in silencing the voices and devaluing the worth of formerly incarcerated individuals of this state. We were hopeful that our leaders would choose to grant all citizens of Mississippi, regardless of their past actions, the equal ability to shape their future and the future of their community by exercising their fundamental democratic rights.
Our Voice, Our Vote Report
Our Voices, Our Votes: Felony Disenfranchisement and Re-entry in Mississippi, a new report by One Voice Mississippi, Mississippi Votes, and Advancement Project National Office analyzes how Mississippi silences those with prior felony convictions and creates reentry barriers for returning citizens. Using statistics, national data, and personal stories from directly impacted Mississippians, the report shines a light on what people with felony convictions are up against. The report details how the state’s Jim Crow legacy not only fails to assist returning citizens but permanently disenfranchise them. With this report, organizers hope to bring change to the Mississippi criminal legal system and restore voting rights for all incarcerated citizens who have served their prison term.
News & Resources
Felony Disenfranchisement Toolkit
Felony Disenfranchisement Toolkit https://onevoicems.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/1-1-1024x576.png 1024 576 admin2 //www.gravatar.com/avatar/2dff6c15d91ead495c3ecc1c5c8a6d77?s=96&r=g&d=mm
Legislative Priorities
Legislative Priorities https://onevoicems.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/OV_LEGISLATIVE-PRIORITES2023-Mockup-1024x768.png 1024 768 Ayana Kinnel //www.gravatar.com/avatar/d242c79d17190584211d773cd76dff66?s=96&r=g&d=mm
One Voice’s 2022 Legislative Priorities
One Voice’s 2022 Legislative Priorities https://onevoicems.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/1-1024x1024.png 1024 1024 admin2 //www.gravatar.com/avatar/2dff6c15d91ead495c3ecc1c5c8a6d77?s=96&r=g&d=mmEvents
Juries lack diversity. Not just diversity of color, but also diversity of thought, experience, and socioeconomic background. This lack of representation is driven by the strategic exclusion of minorities during the selection process, legal barriers to jury participation, and also misconceptions about jury duty that discourage participation. With questions of life and liberty in the balance, representative juries are imperative to achieving just outcomes.
The Juror Project is conducting a virtual workshop on April 28th at @6:30pm. Sponsored by One Voice, MS NAACP, and the Office of State Public Defenders
Our Partners
