Former Columbus councilman loses an appeal to regain right to vote

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A former Columbus city councilman loses an appeal to regain his right to vote.

Kamal Karriem and Roy Harness sued the state of Mississippi after being convicted of a crime and losing their right to cast a ballot.

If a person is convicted of certain crimes in the state they lose their right to vote.

The duo claimed the state’s list of crimes was racially discriminatory and violated the 14th Amendment.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed that claim.

Karriem was convicted of embezzlement in 2005 for an incident involving a city owned cell phone while he was a city councilman.