Can people convicted of felonies vote in Missouri or Kansas? Here’s what the laws say

If you’ve ever had a run-in with the law, you may believe your voting rights are gone for good. But that’s not the case in Kansas or Missouri — even for those convicted of serious crimes, like felonies.

The deadline to register or re-register to vote in November’s general election is Wednesday, Oct. 9, in Missouri and Tuesday, Oct. 15, in Kansas .

Both states have mechanisms in place to restore voting rights after a felony sentence has been fully served. Here’s what to know about regaining your right to vote in Missouri or Kansas following a conviction.

Can you vote with a felony conviction in Missouri?

People with felony convictions who have completed their sentence and any probation or parole time are eligible to vote in Missouri, unless they have been convicted of an election-related offense like voting in someone else’s name, destroying ballots or bribing people to vote a certain way.

However, eligible individuals aren’t automatically added back onto the voter rolls once their probation or parole is complete. Instead, they have to apply for their voting rights to be reinstated. To do so, Missourians with felony convictions must re-register to vote and provide their parole or probation discharge paperwork.

Can you vote with a felony conviction in Kansas?

People who have been convicted of felonies in Kansas are eligible to vote once their probation or parole is complete.

To have their voting rights restored, Kansans with felony convictions must re-register to vote and sign an affidavit confirming that their civil rights have been restored. These rights include voting, holding elected office and serving on a jury.

In some cases, a judge may also require that the individual has paid all their fines and court fees before their probation is lifted and their civil rights are restored.

Does it matter where you were convicted?

In terms of voting rights in Missouri and Kansas, it doesn’t matter where your felony was issued. That means if you’re on probation following a felony conviction from the federal government or another state, you still can’t vote in Missouri or Kansas until your parole or probation are over.

Can you vote in Missouri or Kansas if you were convicted of a misdemeanor?

Under Missouri law , anyone who is currently imprisoned as a sentence for any crime is not eligible to vote. That means if you’re serving time in jail for a misdemeanor, you are not eligible to vote. However, people being held in jail for administrative reasons or awaiting trial can still vote in Missouri because they are not “confined under a sentence of imprisonment.”

People convicted of misdemeanors who are not serving jail time can still vote in Missouri. The exception is misdemeanors for election-related crimes. If you are convicted of an election-related misdemeanor or felony, your voting rights are revoked permanently.

In Kansas, a misdemeanor conviction does not affect your right to vote.

What if the felony charge was overturned?

If you received a felony conviction that was later commuted, expunged or pardoned, you may be eligible to have your voting rights restored in Missouri and Kansas.

But just being released from jail or prison does not automatically mean you get your voting rights back. You must also complete any parole or probation time required on your sentence before you can register again. You also may be required to show your discharge paperwork or proof that your conviction was overturned when re-registering to vote.

Do you have more questions about your voting rights in Missouri or Kansas? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com .