Incarcerated voters in Denver jail cast ballots for 2024 election [View all]

The Denver Elections Division held in-person voting for people in custody at the jail Wednesday, registering them and providing information on candidates and ballot issues compiled by the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. Voters also receive a nonpartisan voter guide from the League of Women Voters.

In Colorado, people in custody on pre-trial status are eligible to vote. So is anyone serving time for a misdemeanor conviction. People with felony convictions lose their right to vote only while they are serving time for that felony conviction, and they regain their right to vote once their sentence is complete.

Kyle Giddings, civic engagement coordinator at the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, worked as an election judge in the jail on Wednesday. He said many of the people he talked to had no idea they would be able to vote while in custody.

“We’re running into people that are first-time voters, that never knew they had the right to vote until today, and that is always an empowering thing,” Giddings said. “They’ve been incredibly grateful, and I think people are just really passionate about making sure their voices are heard in their communities, and we see it every single time we come through.”




https://coloradonewsline.com/2024/10/30/incarcerated-voters-denver-jail-2024-election/