INDIANAPOLIS — Staff and volunteers with the Office of Public Health and Safety helped eligible Marion County Jail inmates register to vote over the weekend.
People on parole, probation, home detention, work release or who are in jail awaiting trial who have not been convicted can register and vote. Voting rights are also restored to Hoosiers who have been released from jail or prison.
A news release from the city said no candidate or party-specific campaign materials were provided to inmates when OPHS staff and volunteers registered voters Saturday in the Marion County Jail I gymnasium.
“Voting is a civic and fundamental right to those who can exercise it,” Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a news release. “An individual’s involvement within the criminal justice system does not necessarily negate their right to be heard through the democratic process. We encourage all residents to do their civic duty, and we’re proud of the OPHS team for increasing voting access.”
OPHS staff and volunteers also helped inmates who registered with filling out an application to receive an absentee ballot, which will be delivered to the jail by mail. The Marion County Election Board will send a traveling board to collect all ballots once they are completed.
“Many in our community are misinformed about voting rights for specific inmates and people with a criminal history. What happens on the national, state, and local levels impacts them, too,” said Carlette Duffy, director of re-entry for OPHS. “The voting registration event at the Marion County Jail, led by OPHS interim director Matt Giffin, provided insight for people who are criminal justice-involved, explaining their right to vote and how to exercise that right for future elections.”