Ballots Behind Bars: Increasing Voting Access Within Incarceration
The Equity and Inclusion Cabinet is proud to announce our partnership with Healing Our Land Inc. Ministries in a crucial initiative to bolster voting educating and ensure equitable access to voting for pre-trial detainees and non-felony misdemeanor voters in Boston.
In recent years, the issue of voting rights for incarcerated individuals has gained significant attention as part of broader efforts to promote equity and inclusion in democratic processes. The City of Boston is committed to exploring the challenges and opportunities associated with increasing voting access within correctional facilities. By examining current initiatives and legislative proposals, the City’s Equity and Inclusion Cabinet aims to shed light on the evolving landscape of electoral participation among incarcerated populations.
The Equity and Inclusion Cabinet, in partnership with HOLI Ministries, is actively working to bolster voting education and ensure equitable access to voting for pre-trial detainees and non-felony misdemeanor voters in Boston. This endeavor aligns closely with the BHRC's commitment to civil and human rights, particularly in dismantling barriers to voting faced by eligible incarcerated individuals.
Research from organizations such as the Center for Public Integrity and the Prison Policy Initiative highlights the significant obstacles incarcerated individuals encounter in the voting process. These barriers include limited voter education, challenges in obtaining and submitting ballots, and misinformation leading to the invalidation of ballots from correctional facilities. Our forthcoming programming and comprehensive data collection on incarcerated voting practices will be pivotal in our long-term efforts to combat disenfranchisement.
About HOLI
We are proud to announce that HOLI Ministries has been selected as our contractor to lead this crucial initiative. HOLI Ministries is an organization led by Black and Latinx faith-based organizers, youth and older adults, as well as currently and formerly incarcerated individuals. HOLI works collectively to care for returning citizens in Boston, providing pathways to essential resources and human services such as employment, education, healthcare, and housing support. HOLI staff and volunteers also assist residents behind bars in Boston with exercising their right to vote and building a more inclusive democracy.
Founded in 1998 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Black communities, HOLI has been a beacon of support and advocacy. Since 2020, HOLI has collaborated with the African American Coalition Committee (AACC), Mayor’s Office of Returning Citizens, African American Diabetes Association, and the Democracy Behind Bars Coalition, among other organizations, to push forward positive social change in collaboration with people most impacted by incarceration in Boston.
About the Initiative
HOLI, in partnership with the Equity and Inclusion Cabinet, will support strategic planning around equitable voting access and voting education for those incarcerated in Suffolk County House of Corrections (HoC) and Nashua Street Jail. This will include:
- Initial research and data collection on the landscape of incarcerated voter access in Boston,
- Facilitation of civic education programming within the facilities leading up to the 2024 Primary and General Elections, and
- A final report evaluating the initiative and any proposed next steps towards combatting incarcerated voter disenfranchisement in Boston.
How to Get Involved
If you are interested in learning more about this work and volunteering with HOLI to facilitate voting and civic education in Suffolk HoC and Nashua Street Jail, find out more here.
To sign up to volunteer, please share your contact information and availability using this form.
