Today the Massachusetts Attorney General, Andrea Joy Campbell, announced that she is working with the state’s Sheriffs’ Association and the Secretary of the Commonwealth to promote voting among inmates.
Inmates can vote if they are not incarcerated for a felony conviction. This means that individuals who are in pretrial detention, awaiting sentencing, or serving time on a misdemeanor are eligible to vote so long as they are otherwise qualified.
According to the Attorney General’s blog,
The collaboration with the Secretary of State’s Office expands upon existing voting initiatives already underway in each of the Sheriff’s Offices and the Department of Correction. These efforts include a multilingual messaging campaign focused on voting rights access and, new reporting requirements for the Sheriffs’ Offices and the DOC.
Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi is also quoted in the AG’s post:
As President of the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association, I thank the Attorney General, Secretary of the Commonwealth, and our dedicated staff for their support on this important issue, Empowering those in our care to participate in the electoral process is the right thing to do, and it reinforces the principle that every citizen has a role in shaping our communities and our future.
Election Day is November 5.