How Denver inmates are voting this year
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A Denver inmate in 2018 receives voter registration information from local elections experts. Photo: AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images
While some U.S. counties make it nearly impossible for incarcerated people to vote due to restrictive voting laws and systemic barriers, Denver isn't one of them.
Why it matters: Many of the 11 million or so Americans booked into county jails can't afford to post bail, or are serving misdemeanor sentences. Those without felony convictions are still eligible to vote, but can't given a lack of access, Axios' Russell Contreras writes.
State of play: For the past two months, the Denver Sheriff Department has partnered with the city's Elections Division, the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition and the League of Women Voters to hold voter registration drives in the city's two jails, spokesperson Daria Serna told Axios Denver.
- People who registered while incarcerated can have their ballots sent to a home address, a community organization or the jail.
- Before they vote, inmates are given copies of the state's Blue Book as well as access to printed copies of the Denver Post as voter guide resources.
What they're saying: "The vast majority of those in DSD custody are returning to the community, and it's important to support their civic engagement as part of their reentry to constructive community participation," Serna told Axios Denver of the importance of voting.
- Incarcerated individuals also "bring a unique perspective on elected officials and ballot issues, particularly those related to our criminal justice processes," she added.
By the numbers: 127 individuals from the Downtown Detention Center and 36 people from the Denver County Jail registered to vote during drives in September and early October, per the sheriff department.
The intrigue: Inmates won't have the opportunity to cast their vote in person like in 2020, when the Denver Sheriff Department allowed prisoners to do so for the first time.
- It's unclear why in-person voting isn't allowed this year, but the department is considering bringing it back for inmates next year, Serna said.
Flashback: Colorado lawmakers passed a measure in 2019 that expanded voting rights for more than 11,000 people on parole.
Yes, but: Only about a quarter of those who have been on parole over the last three years have registered to vote since the law went into effect, according to an analysis by The Marshall Project and The Colorado Sun.