Can we increase civic engagement for people in jail?
More than 700,000 Americans are currently held in custody in local jails. While a common misconception is that these individuals are ineligible to vote, the vast majority are in fact legally permitted to cast a ballot in local, state, and federal elections. Yet doing so is often incredibly difficult, given incarcerated people’s limited mobility and access to informational resources.
Informing people in jail about their legal right to register and vote holds the potential to increase their trust in and engagement with the electoral system. At the same time, communicating with public audiences about the nuances of this fundamental democratic right is critical to preventing false accusations of voter fraud and misconduct.
In partnership with the Alameda County Public Defender, who oversees the Voter Outreach Increases Community Empowerment (VOICE) program, Possibility Lab researchers identified gaps in resources and challenges in jail-based voter registration, built a community of practitioners advancing jail-based voter registration, and identified solutions for overcoming existing challenges.
At the core of this project is the development of strong partnerships with diverse stakeholders, including advocates, community organizations, public defender’s offices, sheriff’s offices, and registrar of voters, to improve jail-based voter registration and voting processes. This collaborative approach leverages varied expertise, fosters knowledge exchange, and promotes a collective effort towards achieving the project’s objectives.
Conducting Onsite Evaluation
Lab researchers partnered with Alameda County Sheriff Inmate Services to gain access to Santa Rita Jail (SRJ) in order to observe registration outreach days, attend volunteer training sessions, and better understand in-person registration drives with the Public Defenders inside the jail. During these visits, the team took field notes, went to nearly every housing unit within the facility, and observed the successful registration of over 300 individuals. This provided valuable insights into the registration process and allowed the team to identify practical barriers, as well as best practices.
Partnering with Trusted Messengers
Recognizing the need for basic education around the registration and voting process, researchers connected VOICE to 5 Keys, a nonprofit charter school running classes inside Santa Rita Jail. The Lab team supported the development of an educational curriculum on voter education, which was then taught by 5 Keys instructors to incarcerated individuals.
Conducting Practitioner Interviews
Information gathered during interviews with practitioners and organizations involved in jail-based voting outreach revealed a complex web of issues. For example, concerns about the trade-offs between privacy and security emerged as a consistent theme. Through these interviews, the team identified a need for jail-based voting practitioners to have a forum to compare strategies and share information.
Creating a Community of Practice
Alongside our partners, the Lab brought together more than 20 organizations who are active in jail-based voter registration. Together, the group engaged in a collective exploration of challenges and strategies, including best practices for in-jail registration, legal and administrative roadblocks, data management challenges, fostering collaborations with key stakeholders, and considerations around pending legislation such as California’s ACA4 and AB544.
Exploring Policy Implementation
Project leaders worked with experts in the field that had implemented jail-based polling places and key stakeholders, including the Sheriff’s Office, the Ella Baker Center (EBC), and the Alameda County Public Defenders, to foster collaboration and gather relevant insights about the potential for implementing a voting center pilot project inside Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail.
Findings from these interviews, along with research on laws and regulations and additional consultations with experts, informed the development of two best practices reports. Continued refinement of these documents alongside the project’s growing network of local government and community leaders will help uncover further insights and improvements to this framework.
Next steps
As legislation in California around the establishment of polling locations in jails progresses, Possibility Lab researchers are well-positioned to assist policymakers, institutions, and advocates as they continue to prepare for the implementation and evaluation of potential reforms.
This project was made possible with funding from the Scholars Strategy Network.