SR483: SR483 Right to Register and Vote; conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude as an exception; remove - CA

Georgia's Constitution currently bars people convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude (a legal term for crimes seen as especially dishonest or immoral) from registering or voting until their sentence is complete, and bars people judicially found mentally incompetent from voting until that finding is lifted. This resolution proposes amending Article II, Section I, Paragraph III of the Constitution. Despite the resolution's title, which describes removing the felony conviction exception, the actual revised text presented splits the existing rule into two labeled parts: part (a) still says no one convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude may register or vote until they finish their sentence, and part (b) still bars mentally incompetent people from voting until the disability is removed. If passed by the General Assembly, the amendment would go to Georgia voters on a future ballot for ratification or rejection, with a yes or no vote on the proposed change.

• Restructures Article II, Section I, Paragraph III of the Georgia Constitution into two separate lettered subsections, (a) and (b), covering felony convictions and mental incompetence.
• Retains language barring people convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude from registering, remaining registered, or voting until their sentence is completed.
• Retains language barring people judicially determined mentally incompetent from voting unless that disability has been removed.
• Directs that the proposed amendment be published and submitted to Georgia voters for ratification or rejection, as required by the Constitution's amendment process.
• Sets the ballot language voters would see, asking whether the Constitution should be amended to remove the felony conviction exception to voting rights.

Georgia voters generally, since they would decide the amendment at the ballot box; people convicted of felonies involving moral turpitude, whose voting eligibility is addressed by the paragraph in question; and people judicially found mentally incompetent, whose voting rights are also covered by this constitutional paragraph.

Constitutional amendments in Georgia require voter approval, so this resolution's real-world effect depends on what change actually reaches the ballot. Voters would need to examine the ballot language closely, since the resolution's stated goal (removing the felony voting exception) does not clearly match the restated text of the paragraph itself.

• Section 1 revises Paragraph III of Article II, Section I of the Georgia Constitution, splitting it into subsection (a) on felony convictions involving moral turpitude and subsection (b) on mental incompetence.
• Subsection (a) states a person convicted of such a felony cannot register, remain registered, or vote except upon completing their sentence.
• Subsection (b) states a person judicially determined mentally incompetent cannot register, remain registered, or vote unless the disability has been removed.
• Section 2 requires the amendment be published and submitted to voters under Article X, Section I, Paragraph II of the Constitution, with specified yes/no ballot language asking whether to remove the felony conviction exception.

1. 2025-03-28Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-03-27Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Josh McLaurin (D, SD-014)Primary sponsor

• voting rights
• felony disenfranchisement
• constitutional amendment
• election rules