Voting rights and expungement; person may have voting rights restored and certain felony records expunged after five years.

HB 664 would automatically restore voting rights for Mississippi residents convicted of certain non-violent felonies (excluding arson, armed robbery, carjacking, embezzlement over $5,000, murder, rape, or statutory rape) once they complete all sentencing requirements. It would also require automatic expungement of eligible felony records after five years of completing all terms and conditions of conviction. The bill mandates that circuit clerks forward expungement orders to the Mississippi Criminal Information Center, and the Department of Public Safety must remove the person’s criminal record from state databases within 45 days. This would directly affect individuals with qualifying felony convictions who complete their sentences, removing barriers to voting and record clearance. The bill also creates an exception to firearm prohibitions for those with expunged records.