Voting in Jails: Strategies to Expand Democracy
The Sentencing Project and Campaign Legal Center hosted a webinar highlighting jurisdictions around the country that actively support ballot access for people detained in jails.
Related to: Collateral Consequences, State Advocacy, Voting Rights
While the COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges for voters during the 2020 election cycle, voting access for the 700,000 people held in local jails around the country has long been critically compromised. Despite the fact that the vast majority of this population is eligible to vote because they are either awaiting trial or serving a non-felony sentence, few jurisdictions have enacted provisions for electoral participation.
The Sentencing Project and Campaign Legal Center hosted a webinar highlighting jurisdictions around the country that actively support ballot access for people detained in jails. It features state advocates and organizers working to register persons to vote, as described in the recent report of The Sentencing Project, Voting in Jail.
Speakers:
Pauline Rogers, Reaching & Educating for Community Hope (RECH) Foundation
Juston Cooper, Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition
Durrel Douglas, Houston Justice Coalition
Dana Paikowsky, Campaign Legal Center
Moderator: Nicole D. Porter, The Sentencing Project
