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Mississippi currently takes the right to vote away from 10.6% of it's voting age population (worst in the country), and 16% of it's black population (3rd worst in the country), due to past felony convictions. And there are many ways to earn yourself a felony in MS, often for things that wouldn't be elsewhere.

National averages are 2.3% and 6.3%.

https://mississippitoday.org/2020/10/19/study-11-of-all-miss...

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While there are both legal and legislative attempts to change it, as of now:

Mississippi currently has no provisions for re-enfranchising those with a past felony conviction, other than by a direct act of the legislature or governor for that specific individual (which is very rare).

Steal $1,001 of stuff when you're 18 and you'll likely never get to vote again in your life even if you never have another encounter with the wrong side of the law.



> And there are many ways to earn yourself a felony in MS, often for things that wouldn't be elsewhere.

Isn't a felony, by definition, a federal offense? How can they be different in different states?


No. A felony is just a classification of serious crime. It has nothing to do with whether it has federal or state jurisdiction.

In theory it has to do with if the prison sentence can last more than a year.




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