A group of senators in the US wants all people who are eligible to vote to do so. In the nation’s bars and prisons, that includes people who are allowed to vote.
But in a letter to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the senators, including Raphael Warnock of Georgia, asked for more messaging and calling with prisoners and detainees about their right to vote.
The politicians talked about more ways that the BOP could be changed to make it easier for people who are in jail but are legally allowed to vote to get to the polls. Additionally, the lawmakers asked BOP for more information on how they are making sure that qualified prisoners can vote in the election process.
“Under current rules, the BOP does not share important voter information with local election officials. It can also be hard to tell if voter registration materials and ballots get to people who are in jail.” It says in the letter. “As a result, more work and coordination are needed to make sure that everyone gets the right election information and turns in their materials on time.”
According to a Bureau policy that the senators say isn’t being followed, they recommended putting incoming and outgoing election mail in order of importance.
The letter says, “BOP has a policy of treating some incoming mail from election officials as ‘legal mail’ and all outgoing mail addressed to election officials as’special mail.’ This policy is not always followed.”
Advocates say that the first step is for people to know that they can vote. It’s possible to vote if you haven’t done a crime and aren’t on parole or probation for one.
A representative from the criminal justice group Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, Lyndon Waller, said, “If someone is in jail on a felony charge but hasn’t been found guilty or pleaded guilty to that charge, they can still keep their voting rights and vote.” “People don’t know a lot of the time.”
Waller said that more could be done at every stage of the criminal justice system to teach people about their rights and how to register to vote. The group’s main focus is on voter registration information and drives at the county and neighborhood levels.
He said, “Every level.” “People can do more and the more we do, the easier it is on the process and letting people know that they do have their rights still.”
