The Vote in NYC Jails Coalition, ahead of Election Day on November 5, 2024, today held a rally calling on the New York City Board of Elections (BOE) and New York City Department of Correction (DOC) to invest in and commit to making sure that all people incarcerated in NYC jails have their ballots cast and counted on this and every upcoming election.

The Coalition called on BOE to immediately provide voters at Rikers with the same opportunity to vote in-person via the mechanism the law provides for nursing home residents. This includes appointing election inspectors to preside over portable voting machines on-site at Rikers Island so that registered voters can cast their ballot directly.

The Coalition also urged DOC and BOE to devote more resources around election season to support voters with registering to vote and requesting, receiving, and returning absentee ballots. Ralliers also called for the implementation of a voter education program to provide non-partisan resources on voting, which is critical to cultivating an informed and robust voting culture at NYC jails.

This event is part of a series of rallies held each Election Day in 2024 to call for action and accountability from BOE and DOC and ensure that each eligible voter has their voice heard.

“A person’s inability to pay their bail should not result in their disenfranchisement, but each election cycle thousands of eligible voters are denied their right to vote while incarcerated in a NY jail,” said Claire Stottlemyer, an attorney at The Legal Aid Society. “The current practice of absentee-ballot voting has repeatedly failed people who are incarcerated, and polling sites in jails are essential if we are serious about addressing their systematic exclusion.”