JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Mississippi lawmakers held a hearing on Wednesday to hear directly from convicted felons who are advocating for felony suffrage.

A House bill that would have restored voting rights to non-violent felons died in the Mississippi Senate this year.

The bipartisan measure passed the House overwhelmingly and would have granted suffrage five years after an individual’s conviction date or their release.

Kenneth Almons, who was freed from prison 28 years ago, shared his personal story of disenfranchisement. He now works for the City of Jackson.

“When I reentered the free world, I was pretty confident. I fought my way back among society. But my voting rights are my last piece of the puzzle because I’m tired of being a nobody. Without the voting rights, it’s not complete. It’s not complete. I served my time. I paid my debt. And I come home, I don’t have voting rights, but yet still, I have to pay taxes,” said Almons.

This year’s House action on felony suffrage was the first bill passed by either chamber in more than a decade that would have restored voting rights.