Vote In NYC Jails Coalition Demands Polling Sites in Jails and Equal Access to the Ballot for Incarcerated New Yorkers
As November General Election Approaches, Vote In NYC Jails Coalition Demands Polling Sites in Jails and Equal Access to the Ballot for Incarcerated New Yorkers
"The Vote in NYC Jails Coalition, ahead of Election Day on November 5, 2024, today held a rally calling on the New York City Board of Elections (BOE) and New York City Department of Correction (DOC) to invest in and commit to making sure that all people incarcerated in NYC jails have their ballots cast and counted on this and every upcoming election.
The Coalition called on BOE to immediately provide voters at Rikers with the same opportunity to vote in-person via the mechanism the law provides for nursing home residents. This includes appointing election inspectors to preside over portable voting machines on-site at Rikers Island so that registered voters can cast their ballot directly, eliminating the need for a logistically complex absentee ballot request process and curing process that the Board must undertake with regard to the absentee ballots of the detainees.
The Coalition also urged DOC and BOE to devote more resources around election season to support voters with registering to vote and requesting, receiving, and returning absentee ballots. Ralliers also called for the implementation of a voter education program to provide non-partisan resources on voting, which is critical to cultivating an informed and robust voting culture at NYC jails."
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“On Saturday, early voting will begin in New York City, leading up to Election Day two weeks from today. While many New Yorkers will vote early, absentee, or in person on November 5th, people incarcerated in New
York City jails face incredible and unnecessary barriers to casting their vote, putting thousands at risk of disenfranchisement,” said Michael Klinger, Jail Services Attorney with Brooklyn Defender Services. “We join the Vote in NYC Jails Coalition to urge NYC to establish a polling site at Rikers Island and ensure all New Yorkers have equal access to this fundamental right.”
Read the full press release here.
