Jail-Based Voting Resources

 There are over 4.6 million Americans who are prohibited from voting due to laws that disenfranchise citizens convicted of a felony offense. Guaranteeing the right to vote for all persons completing their sentence inside and outside of prison and jail is the next phase of the voting rights movement.

Included below are examples of voter guides from many states, toolkits to assist advocates and incarcerated voters, sample mailers and handouts and reports on jail-based voting.

In local jails, the vast majority of persons are eligible to vote because they are not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction. Generally, persons are incarcerated in jail pretrial, sentenced to misdemeanor offenses, or are sentenced and awaiting transfer to state prison. Despite the fact that most persons detained in jail are eligible to vote, very few actually do. Jail administrators often lack knowledge about voting laws, and bureaucratic obstacles to establishing a voting process within institutions contribute significantly to limited voter participation. Indeed, acquiring voter registration forms or an absentee ballot while incarcerated is challenging when someone cannot use the internet or easily contact the Board of Elections in their community. In addition, many persons in jail do not know they maintain the right to vote while incarcerated, and there are few programs to guarantee voting access.