Justice for Jail Voters
No eligible voter should be left behind.
Thousands of people sitting in Michigan jails today are legally eligible to vote but are systematically denied access due to a lack of information, infrastructure, and coordination. This is called jail-based disenfranchisement, and Voting Access for All Coalition (VAAC) is working to address it.
VAAC’s goal is to ensure that every eligible voter detained in county jails has meaningful and consistent access to register to vote and vote. VAAC is working to make jail voting the norm across Michigan, because our voting system works best when everyone can participate.
Confusion around eligibility remains one of the largest barriers to voting access for individuals in jail. In Michigan, individuals who are in jail awaiting arraignment, trial, or sentencing are eligible to register to vote and vote by absentee ballot. Individuals who are currently incarcerated after sentencing are not eligible to vote while confined, but voting rights are automatically restored upon release from incarceration.
Despite voting eligibility for those awaiting arraignment, trial, or sentencing, many eligible voters never receive the information or support needed to exercise this right. Voting access in jails is not automatic. Without intentional systems in place, it is inconsistent and often nonexistent.
Eligible voters in jail can face many barriers when attempting to register to vote and vote while detained, like delays in the jail mail systems, a lack of communication and coordination, and limited access to voting-related materials. This results in thousands of voters being excluded from the voting process and disproportionately impacts certain groups that are overrepresented in Michigan jails, including: Black communities, low-income individuals, people with disabilities, and people experiencing homelessness.
Incarcerated people and those directly impacted by the criminal legal system are among the most directly impacted by the decisions that our elected officials make. For example, district attorneys prosecute their cases, lawmakers pass laws they are charged with breaking, sheriffs run the jails where they are confined, and even judges preside over their cases. It is a failure to our democracy that these voters are excluded from elections every year simply because they are overlooked, and programs to support them either don’t exist or are under-resourced.
VAAC is using a community-driven, systems-level approach to expand jail voting across Michigan by enhancing access to voter registration and absentee voting inside jails, creating models that can be replicated statewide, and advancing long-term systemic change. By partnering with advocates, sheriffs, clerks, and other local officials, we can alleviate the barriers to voting that jailed individuals face in Michigan.
In Genesee County, jail voting policies show that access to ballots for individuals residing in Michigan jails, but not serving a sentence, is possible. The Genesee County Jail asks individuals during their intake if they are registered to vote, and if not, whether they would like to register. The jail also offers voter registration opportunities at least once every three months, and again a few weeks before each Election Day. All completed voter registration forms are sent directly to the Secretary of State’s Office for processing. The jail also provides a voter registration form to individuals upon their release from the jail. The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office is a key partner in this process and appoints ambassadors (county staff or engaged community members) to assist in facilitating civic education, voter registration, absentee ballot requests, and voting inside the Genesee County Jail. All Michigan jails should have policies and programming that provide voter education, voter registration, absentee or Election Day voting, and transparency and accountability.
Voting Access for All Coalition is dedicated to ensuring that every eligible voter knows their rights and has the opportunity to participate in decisions that impact their lives, families, and communities.
Click here to learn more about how you can get involved with VAAC and help ensure no voter is left behind.
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Angela Davenport, Executive Director at Voting Access for All Coalition
Read another article in collaboration with VAAC from October 2025 here: End Prison Gerrymandering.
