Suffrage; restore to Larry Mangum of Hinds County.
Summary
House Bill 1964 is a private suffrage bill that restores the right to vote to Larry Mangum of Hinds County, Mississippi. The bill states that Mangum lost his voting rights because of prior felony convictions, including embezzlement in 2007 and marijuana sale in 2018, and notes that he completed his sentence and parole in 2019. It further recites the Legislature’s finding that he has since behaved as a law-abiding and honorable citizen.
The measure is narrowly tailored to one individual and does not change Mississippi’s general suffrage-restoration rules for other people with felony convictions. If enacted, it would immediately restore Mangum’s status as an elector and allow him to register and vote again, effective upon passage.
Impact
HB1964 would amend the legal status of a single person by restoring his right of suffrage, overriding the disability that arose from his felony convictions. It does not create a new statewide process or alter the underlying statutes governing disenfranchisement generally; instead, it operates as a special legislative restoration of voting rights for Larry Mangum alone.
Sentiment
The bill appears noncontroversial and routine in the limited record provided, with no committee transcript or recorded votes showing opposition or debate. The language of the bill itself is favorable toward the individual, emphasizing completion of sentence and subsequent lawful conduct, which suggests a positive or at least sympathetic legislative posture.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the available materials. The only potentially sensitive issue is the use of a private bill to restore voting rights to one individual with prior felony convictions, but there is no evidence in the record of disagreement over Mangum’s eligibility, his criminal history, or the appropriateness of individualized suffrage restoration.