Mississippi ex-felons oppose merger of 2 voting rights cases

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Some former convicts who want to regain voting rights in Mississippi say their lawsuit should stand on its own and not be merged with a similar case.

Two federal lawsuits are challenging Mississippi’s system for restoring suffrage to people convicted of certain felonies. One was filed in September, the other in March.

The state’s top elections official, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann consolidation of the two cases, which are assigned to different judges.

Plaintiffs in the second case say the lawsuits make different arguments about how Mississippi violates people’s constitutional rights.

The Mississippi Constitution strips voting rights from people convicted of 10 felonies. The attorney general later expanded that list to 22.

A former convict must get permission from two-thirds of the Legislature and the governor to regain voting rights.

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