Mass. has thousands of jailed voters. Few had votes counted in 2024.
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Just 5% of eligible incarcerated voters in Massachusetts cast their ballots in the 2024 election, according to a long-awaited report on jail-based voting.
The big picture: The report, which Secretary of State William Galvin released after a court-ordered settlement, highlights barriers to participating in elections while locked up, voting rights advocates say.
Catch up quick: Massachusetts lets thousands of voters convicted of misdemeanors or detained pretrial cast their ballots.
- A 2022 election reform law requires state officials to share voting data from jails, a win for voting rights advocates at the time.
- Civil rights groups sued Galvin's office in February for not publishing the data, reaching a settlement a month later.
By the numbers: Massachusetts had 5,590 eligible voters in jail ahead of the 2024 state primary.
- 159 (2.5%) applied for a ballot; 58 ballots (1%) were counted.
- The state rejected 15 ballots — nine due to failed delivery and the rest due to a missed deadline or for being incomplete (for example, missing a signature or a ballot envelope).
🗳️ In the general election, there were 4,647 eligible voters in jail.
- 422 (9%) requested a ballot; 230 (5%) were counted.
- The state rejected 27 ballots — 10 due to failed delivery and the rest due to a missed deadline or for being incomplete.
What they're saying: "The numbers are abysmal," said Brooke Simone, a staff attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights, in a statement.
- "This report gives our clients the data they need to understand why the system failed so many eligible voters — and to demand the reforms necessary to ensure that jail-based voting rights are meaningful, accessible and real."
The other side: "Secretary Galvin is certainly committed to ensuring that any eligible voter who wishes to cast a ballot is able to do so," said Deb O'Malley, a spokesperson for Galvin's office.
- "Part of that is continuing to educate staff at correctional facilities and civic groups assisting them about voter residence and eligibility, timely submission of ballots and applications and other election-related information."
- The office is updating how it gets voter updates from correctional facilities to produce the follow-up reports required under law faster, O'Malley said.
How it works: Jails are supposed to hand out absentee ballot applications for eligible voters, known as "specially qualified voters."
- A voter or voter's family member can also request an absentee ballot and a mail-in ballot in writing, listing the voter's last active address before going to jail.
- If an eligible incarcerated voter isn't registered, that person can submit an unregistered absentee ballot.
Yes, but: Some ballots that should have redirected to jails went to the voters' homes instead.
- Galvin's office said that likely happened if a voter had requested ballots for all 2024 elections at their home address before going to jail.
Friction point: Some incarcerated voters are registered to vote at their jail, which the state discourages.
- Massachusetts received 52 ballot applications with a jail listed as the home address in Suffolk County.
- Galvin's office said these voters may have received incorrect information about which address to list on the ballot applications.
What's next: Civil rights groups working on voting access in two Boston jails say the findings will help them identify gaps and bolster outreach ahead of the 2026 elections.
- Galvin's office is expected to deliver progress reports through March 1, 2027.