Statement on House Bill 811: Gatekeeping Disguised as Governance

House Bill 811 contains strategic barriers designed to silence the political voice of Mississippians. This bill is steeped in the same voter suppression logic that once fueled Jim Crow. It erects unnecessary hurdles, disqualifies candidates for technicalities, and criminalizes mobility—all under the guise of 'election integrity.

This bill:

• Punishes people who legally voted in another district during residency transitions—targeting students, renters, and working-class Mississippians.

• Expands felony disenfranchisement in ways that we know disproportionately impact Black Mississippians.

• Bans online candidate filing in the year 2025—as if access is a threat to integrity.

• Gives partisan committees the unchecked power to disqualify candidates without sufficient recourse.

This bill doesn't fix anything. It just makes it harder for the students, working parents, and returning citizens to run and represent their communities.

Let’s be clear: This is about exclusion, not fair elections. It’s about disqualifying the next generation of leaders before they even get on the ballot. House Bill 811 does not protect the integrity of our elections—it protects the power of the few by excluding the voices of the many.