On Friday, August 28th, 2026, Missouri took an important step in the right direction as new voting-rights legislation restored the right to vote for approximately 41,000 people on probation and parole. The legislation was championed by State Representative Melanie Stinnett, and was signed by Governor Mike Kehoe on July 13th, 2026. Rep. Stinnett had advocated for this for years, starting when she was campaigning door to door and connected with someone who was not able to cast their ballot. Her constituents sharing their personal story turned into a collective voice, and now that collective voice will impact many Missourians going forward. That is true people power.
For people who have completed their sentences and are working to rebuild their lives, the right to participate in our democracy carries a powerful message about not letting the past define your future. When we think of voting, you have to think about the power that your vote holds and the feeling of being part of a community, and having a stake in what happens in your community. This is what this law will do for those who are on supervised release, those who are eligible will not have to continue to wait until probation or parole ends to vote in elections. Restoring voting rights recognizes that rehabilitation should include the opportunity to fully reconnect and engage on the issues that you care about. Democracy is strongest when the people who have paid their debt to society have a pathway back into the community.
According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, as of June 2025, there were more than 52,000 individuals on state supervision. This law restores voting rights to most of those individuals but excludes those with offenses that involve violence, sex, and child abuse, violent and non-sexual offenses. This legislation will impact slightly over 10,000 individuals on parole and over 31,000 on probation.
It is important to uplift the history behind this issue, and recognize those most impacted. For generations, black people have been disproportionately impacted by voter disenfranchisement. According to data from the Brennan Center for Justice, an estimate of 6.1 million individuals are impacted by felony disenfranchisement policies. This disproportionately impacts people of color, particularly black people. 1 in every 13 black voters cannot vote, a rate that is 4 times greater than any other demographic. This map shows disenfranchisement laws in many different states. There is a long history of efforts designed to limit black communities’ ability to fully participate in democracy. This represents so many voices who are excluded from elections and voices that go unheard.
I am encouraged by the growing momentum around rights restoration and what it can mean for civic participation across Missouri. Being able to have the opportunity to connect back fully in your community, vote on decisions that matter to you, and just being able to use your voice is extremely valuable to the greater community. This is a starting point for future legislative sessions to increase eligibility for rights restoration. As we look ahead to the November election, it’s important that people understand the process, know their rights, and are aware of the deadlines they need to meet in order to fully participate.
Denise Lieberman, director of Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, has pushed for voting rights for well over two decades. Organizations like MOVPC work so hard to make sure that every eligible voter has the opportunity to participate, and that no one is pushed out of our democracy. We are proud to partner with MOVPC and many other organizations to continue to help push legislation that will impact voter access.
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