Dear John,

Today, The Sentencing Project released a new report, Voting From Prison: Lessons From Maine and Vermont, which finds that incarcerated citizens in Maine and Vermont still face significant barriers to casting a ballot. The report reveals a troubling disconnect: having the legal right to vote while incarcerated does not guarantee the ability to exercise that right. With an estimated one million eligible voters currently completing a felony-level sentence in prisons or jails across the United States, the findings underscore the urgent need to remove systemic barriers to voting in correctional facilities.

Key Findings:

• Nearly 75% of incarcerated individuals surveyed said voting is important to them, yet almost half did not know how to vote from within their facility.
• Barriers included:
  • Lack of information about voting rights, candidates, dates and deadlines
  • Complex registration and ballot procedures
  • Unpredictable mail services
  • Insufficient staff training and support

While Maine’s and Vermont’s Department of Corrections staff demonstrated support for incarcerated residents exercising their right to vote, the report recommends additional steps that Departments of Corrections, election officials, and advocates can take to ensure incarcerated citizens can fully participate in the democratic process:

• Establish in-person polling stations in prisons, modeled after successful programs in jails in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Houston.
• Implement systemwide voting policies and practices in all correctional facilities.
• Provide comprehensive voter education for incarcerated individuals about their right to vote and how to vote during incarceration, including candidate information.
• Train corrections staff to support and facilitate the voting process.
• Foster partnerships between correctional institutions, election officials, and civil society organizations.

The Sentencing Project urges corrections officials, policymakers, and advocates to act on these recommendations. Ensuring that every eligible citizen can vote — regardless of incarceration status — is essential to building a truly inclusive democracy.

Kristen M. Budd

Senior Research Analyst

[email protected]

As a nonprofit organization, The Sentencing Project relies on the generosity of our community to power our work. The research, advocacy, and public education we contribute to the movement to end mass incarceration are only possible with your support. Every dollar makes a difference.

www.sentencingproject.org

The Sentencing Project
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Washington, DC 20036
United States

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