WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HB 4116

Suffrage; restore to Charity Payne-Williams of Tunica County.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Daryl Porter

Restores Charity Payne-Williams’ right to vote in Mississippi elections, explicitly reinstating her suffrage after prior embezzlement conviction and completed sentence.

Died In Committee
#judiciaryb #judiciary #divisionb
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 4116

Bill Summary: HB 4116 (Mississippi) – Restore Right of Suffrage to Charity Payne-Williams

Overview

  • Jurisdiction: Mississippi
  • Session: 2026 Regular Session
  • Committee: Judiciary B
  • Sponsor: Representative Porter (Co-sponsor: Daryl Porter)
  • Status History:
    • Referred to Judiciary B (Mar 10, 2026)
    • Passed (Mar 19, 2026)
    • Title Suff Do Pass (Mar 18, 2026)
    • Transmitted to Senate (Mar 20, 2026)
    • Died in Committee (Apr 15, 2026)

Purpose of the Bill

HB 4116 would restore the right of suffrage (the right to vote) to Charity Payne-Williams, a resident of Coahoma County, Mississippi. The bill explicitly repeals her prior disqualification, reinstating her as an eligible elector.

Key Provisions

  • Section 1 – Restoration of Voting Rights
    • The right to vote is “fully and completely restored” to Charity Payne-Williams.
    • She was previously disqualified as an elector on June 23, 2003, in Tunica County for the crime of embezzlement.
    • She was sentenced to five years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
    • She was released on June 23, 2008 due to expiration of sentence.
    • The Legislature states she has since conducted herself as a law-abiding and honorable citizen.
  • Section 2 – Effective Date
    • The act takes effect upon passage.

Who/What Would Be Affected

  • Individual: Charity Payne-Williams (Coahoma County) would regain full voting rights.
  • Electoral Eligibility: The restoration affects her status as an elector; it does not specify any broad changes to voting rights for others.
  • Legal/Administrative Impact: Potentially relevant to election offices and voter rolls to update her status from ineligible to eligible.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Process: The bill follows the standard legislative path for restoration of suffrage for an individual, a type of targeted clemency-like remedy.
  • Timeline Highlights:
    • Referred to Judiciary B on March 10, 2026
    • Passed the House Judiciary B process by March 18–19, 2026
    • Transmitted to the Senate on March 20, 2026
    • Died in Committee on April 15, 2026 (i.e., no final Senate action or passage within the session)
  • If enacted, the act would operate retroactively to restore voting rights, effectively reintegrating the individual as a qualified elector from the date of passage onward.

Notes and Considerations

  • The bill is highly specific to a single individual and does not indicate broader changes to Mississippi’s suffrage restoration framework or automatic restoration processes for others with felony convictions.
  • The text asserts that Payne-Williams has since demonstrated law-abiding conduct, framing the restoration as warranted based on personal conduct since release.

Bottom Line

HB 4116 seeks to restore Charity Payne-Williams’ right to vote in Mississippi elections by explicitly reinstating her suffrage, citing prior conviction and completed sentence, and affirming her current status as a law-abiding citizen. The bill passed the House but ultimately died in Committee in the Senate during the 2026 session.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.