SOTS Announces Collaboration with DOC to Break Down Barriers to Voting for Eligible Incarcerated Individuals

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09/26/2024

SOTS Announces Collaboration with DOC to Break Down Barriers to Voting for Eligible Incarcerated Individuals

(Hartford, CT) - Today, Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas announced a collaboration with the Department of Corrections that aims to break down the barriers to voting and civic engagement for eligible incarcerated individuals.

Approved to hold voter registration in eight state prisons this year, the multi-faceted collaboration helps to streamline the registration and voting process for inmates, who, in the past, had been unaware they were permitted to vote or unsure of the process.

The collaboration includes DOC uploading SOTS-generated educational materials to DOC-issued tablets supplied to inmates on arrival, including a detailed "how-to-vote-while-incarcerated" document also posted in common spaces in each prison; updated training for prison staff and volunteers on the eligibility of inmates who can vote and the process to register them, as well as the process to vote by absentee ballot; voter registration at eight facilities around the state; and best practices for ensuring all currently incarcerated eligible voters can vote if they want to, as well as potential logistical and procedural improvements that could be made, moving forward.

Through the training and support of prison personnel and volunteers - including some Registrars of Voters and SOTS staff - inmates receive education on their rights, are registered to vote if eligible, and are guided through the absentee voting process for those who are already registered. Additionally, the collaboration is ensuring that every inmate in the DOC system has access to information on their voting rights.

An often-forgotten segment of the voting population, there are over 4,000 eligible voters currently incarcerated in Connecticut who have not lost the right to vote because they are in jail awaiting trial or convicted of a misdemeanor.

"Voting is a basic right for ALL eligible individuals, regardless of life circumstance," said Secretary Thomas. "This collaboration is important because not only does it empower inmates to make their voices heard, but it allows them to participate in society even while they are incarcerated. I am grateful to the DOC for their partnership and work with us."

Future voter registration activities will be held annually, and the SOTS office will continue its ongoing dialogue with various groups working in this area of incarcerated voting such as the ACLU, Yale Law Clinic, NAACP, LWV, and Full Citizens Coalition.

"The voter outreach collaboration is the first-of-its kind in our correctional system. I believe the individuals we supervise will benefit enormously from the ability to be civically engaged and involved with their communities," said Angel Quiros, Commissioner of the DOC. "Voting creates a sense of connection to their home environment and allows eligible incarcerated individuals to take an active role in the democratic process."

According to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, nearly 95% of people incarcerated in state or federal prisons are eventually released and return to their communities after serving their sentences, giving them a greater stake in the outcome of civic engagement.

Formerly incarcerated volunteers from Full Citizens Coalition, an advocacy organization focused on abolishing felony parole disenfranchisement, have helped with voter registration efforts, providing guidance and assistance to eligible incarcerated individuals.

"In working on rights restoration and civic engagement in Connecticut's most disengaged cities and towns, I'm excited to see the initiative taken by Secretary of the State Thomas," said James Jeter, founder of Full Citizens Coalition. "Secretary of the State Thomas has used her office as a bridge between community organizations, coalitions, and DOC, bringing all parties together. Jail-based voting is very important to Connecticut's democracy; it is a disengagement that exists only because the incarcerated person cannot afford bail, and poverty should not be a punitive strike against your active citizenship and access to your ballot."

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