JACKSON, Miss. ( WJTV ) – With the 2024 presidential election approaching, organizations in Mississippi want voters to have the resources they need to exercise their rights.

The Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP) provides legal advice and assistance to help clients with legal matters, including voter disenfranchisement.

Gayla Carpenter-Sanders, executive director and general counsel for the MVLP, said some voters tend to believe they are not eligible to vote if they have committed a crime. Some disenfranchising crimes include voter fraud, arson, larceny, and murder.

Sanders said clinics are held across the state to assist those with the expungement process so their voting rights can be restored.

“There are crimes that do not disenfranchise you. For example, drug crimes do not disenfranchise you. Manslaughter does not disenfranchise you. Kidnapping does not disenfranchise you. And so what citizens need to know is that if they have been convicted of a crime, they need to check the Secretary of State’s website to see if their crime is one of those crimes that disenfranchises them. If it doesn’t, then they need to go to their local circuit clerk’s office and register to vote,” she said.

If you’re unsure about your eligibility, you can also contact organizations, including Mississippi Votes and the ACLU.

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