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  • Jail Voting Soars in Colorado After State Mandates Polling Places in County Lockups

    After Colorado passed a state law requiring all jails to create in-person polling places for incarcerated voters, the number of ballots cast from county jails rose from 231 in 2022 to more than 2,300 in 2024.

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  • This Pennsylvania County Wiped Out Millions in Jail Debt

    In 2022, the Dauphin County Commissioners voted to eliminate “pay-to-stay” fees that meant people incarcerated in the county jail were often saddled with debt upon their release, regardless of the outcome of their trial. In September 2024, the commissioners also voted to forgive past debt accrued under the pay-to-stay policy, providing $66 million in relief for formerly incarcerated individuals, giving them a better chance at getting back on their feet post incarceration.

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  • The Michigan Jail that Candidates Keep Visiting

    Michigan’s Genessee County jail employs two formerly incarcerated organizers who help people detained there register to vote, cast their ballots, and access resources about pivotal election measures. They also coordinate forums with political candidates for offices ranging from the Michigan Supreme Court to the Flint City Council.

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  • Kentucky Activists Step In to Deliver on the Promise of Voting Rights Restoration

    After Kentucky reinstated voting rights for people convicted of nonviolent crimes who have finished their sentence, a coalition of activists and nonprofit organizations started using public records, social media, door-to-door canvassing, and other outreach methods to inform formerly incarcerated people of their rights. The effort has helped register more than 89,000 people since 2019, though advocates say the state itself could be doing much more to reach newly-enfranchised voters.

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  • Oregon Wants to Register Medicaid Recipients to Vote. Will Biden Officials Allow It?

    Oregon was the first state to implement automatic voter registration, which allows government agencies such as the DMV to share residents’ information with election officials. Roughly 94 percent of eligible residents are now registered to vote, and the state hopes to expand its approach to Medicaid recipients, but federal regulations may complicate that process.

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  • To Boost Turnout, Some Cities Just Synced Up Their Local Elections With National Cycles

    To boost turnout in local elections that often see low participation, cities such as Berkeley, Calif. and Ann Arbor, Mich. have shifted their election cycles to match up with higher-profile presidential contests. Researchers found that moving municipal elections to sync up with presidential elections boosts turnout by an average of 29 percent, and at least 11 communities approved similar measures this year to make the switch to even-year elections.

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