This Election Day, whether it be a final act, or mere intermission to the political theater that has governed the country the last four years, has garnered the highest stakes of any November 3rd in modern American history.
Founded 10 years ago, the organization works to debunk the myths surrounding voting rights for incarcerated folks, which they say is essential to a working democracy.
This October, they brought polling places directly to eligible voters detained in Cook County Jail, thanks to the Voting In Jail bill, recently passed into Illinois law.
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“We just want to make sure all the misconceptions that folks lose the right to vote forever because they have a felony on their record are dismantled before people even leave the prison,” organizing manager Alexandria Boutros said. “We know this myth is so widespread throughout prisons, and thus throughout communities. It’s detrimental because elected officials are passing laws and doing work all the time around our prisons and jails, and it should include people who are directly affected.”
Incarcerated folks’ eligibility to vote varies across state lines. In Illinois, citizens reserve the right to vote while they await trial, and those convicted of a felony have their voting rights reinstated at the end of their prison sentence. Still, ACLU Illinois reports, many Illinoisans who have experienced incarceration do not know their rights.
The Voting In Jail bill was created to bridge this gap. The legislation, which took effect January 1, mandates that counties with over three million eligible voters place polling stations inside of county jails.
Chicago Votes co-deputy director Jen Dean said the first weekend of voting at Cook County Jail was “historic.”
Source: This Chicago Group Brought The Polls Directly To Those Incarcerated At A Local Jail
