Inez Bordeaux remembers the day she lost her right to vote. She said that being charged with a felony catapulted her to becoming more civic minded.
"I had never taken voting very seriously. I don't even think I did it super regularly, but once I no longer had the ability to do it, it became something that was always on my mind," Bordeaux said. "It's such a fundamental right of being American."
Today, Bordeaux has dedicated her life to teaching people about voting and why engaging in the process could help create a better society. While working as deputy director of partnerships and organizing for ArchCity Defenders, she often runs into formerly incarcerated people who want to vote but are disenfranchised because they are on probation or parole.
Bordeaux said the goal of the criminal legal system is to fully reintegrate formerly incarcerated people into society, but if they cannot vote after they're released, then that goal is moot.
"The people who have the power to change the material conditions of your life — the laws, the rules, the regulations, the programs that are put in place — being able to vote for someone who can do that is so important after you are coming home from jail and prison," she said.
This right could materialize for over 53,000 people in Missouri. A bill passed the state House on March 5 that would restore voting rights to people on probation or parole.
Rep. Melanie Stinnett, R-Springfield, sponsored the bipartisan bill. It passed 107 to 36, has been reported to the Senate and is waiting to be referred to a committee.
Stinnett said that while campaigning for her seat a few years ago, she met someone who was formerly incarcerated and could not vote in the election. She said his emotional reaction to being disenfranchised was moving.
"I saw the impact on a person in my district, and I think it makes sense, especially supported by the data … on recidivism," Stinnett said. "If we can get people engaged and keep them out of our jails and prisons, then I think we should be doing everything we can to support that type of legislation."
According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, as of June 30, 2025, there were 13,586 women and 38,453 men on state supervision. In St. Louis and St. Louis County combined, there were 81 women and 1,178 men on parole. There were 535 women and 2,409 men on probation in the city and county. That is over 4,200 people in St. Louis and St. Louis County who cannot vote, and in surrounding counties, over 5,200 people on probation and parole.
If the bill becomes law, formerly incarcerated people on state supervision can register to vote and then serve their community in some capacity, Stinnett said.
"If you have that opportunity to let your voice be heard in the ballot box, hopefully you're going to take that opportunity and speak on issues at city council, or let your voice be heard at a school board meeting, or maybe even just join a board of a local nonprofit that you think is important," she said. "Investing your time in it can help uplift your community."
Stinnett's goal is to have a community filled with civically engaged individuals, like Courtney Everett, who was once incarcerated. He said many people in prison pay attention to everything happening in their communities and the world through television.
"For most people, after they've been sentenced to a prison time, that's when they start to pay attention to the law," said Everett, who is also the director of finance and development for St. Louis University's Prison Education Program. "So yes, most people who are incarcerated are interested in participating in society, because you start to realize how many things that they missed out on, but also how many things impacted their life that they had control of that they never took advantage of."
Criminal justice advocates across the state want the bill passed because they say voting can boost the confidence of formerly incarcerated people and help inspire younger people to let their voices be heard through the ballot box.
Over the past few years, state lawmakers have filed similar bills that would restore voting rights for people on probation or parole, but none made it to the Senate. Stinnett said the bill would be standalone legislation and is not packaged with a larger criminal justice bill, which is why she believes it moved through the House. She said challenges have included reintroducing the bill to different lawmakers over the years and explaining why people waiting to get off state supervision to vote hurts many communities.
"These individuals are living and working in our community. They're paying taxes. Their kids are going to our neighborhood schools, and if we aren't allowing them the ability to vote, then they can't vote on those school board elections or on local taxes that would be levied on them," Stinnett said. "It's really about making sure that they feel like they have representation for themselves and their feelings on those types of things in their community as well."
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