The Missouri House moved Thursday to restore voting rights to people on probation and parole.
Rep. Melanie Stinnett, R-Springfield, sponsored the bipartisan bill, which passed 107 to 36.
"These individuals are living in our neighborhoods, they're working alongside of us, they're paying their taxes, and we trust them to care for their children," Stinnett said during first-round approval earlier this week. "I believe that we should trust them with a ballot."
Stinnett said it was the first bill she filed after being elected to the House in 2022, inspired by a constituent she met while campaigning who couldn't vote.
"People didn't even have to really pitch me on it," Stinnett said. "I saw how it impacted him and what it meant to him to have civic engagement in his community."
More than 53,000 Missourians were under state supervision at the end of February, according to a statement provided to STLPR by the Department of Corrections.
Many of them would have their voting rights restored, likely in August, if the Senate approves the bill. People who have committed suffrage-related offenses would be excluded from the legislation.
Stinnett and other proponents of the legislation said enfranchisement would encourage parolees and probationers to be more active citizens – possibly reducing recidivism rates.
"This will help them become good stewards of society and engage in their civic duties, and quite frankly, I think that it may make them more engaged within their societal norms," said Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, D-St. Louis.
Bosley and Rep. Marty Joe Murray, D-St. Louis, both said they have met many St. Louis residents who cannot vote because they are on parole or probation.
St. Louis ranked first in the state for the number of people on parole and seventh for probation, according to a July 2025 report from the Department of Corrections.
St. Louis County ranked third for parole and second for probation.
"Your vote is your voice, and I think that we will be restoring that voice to a lot of people," Murray said.
No one spoke in opposition.
Previous versions of Stinnett's bill have not made it through the chamber.
The legislation is HB 2592.
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