Inmates vote from North Country prisons

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – This Election Day, the North Country will receive ballots from an unlikely source – inmates serving time in the county jail.

This year, New York opened up voter registration to inmates under certain circumstances.

“If they come for a misdemeanor or a violation, they can vote. If they’re arrested here and charged with a crime but not convicted, they can still vote,” Jefferson County Jail Lt. James Gayne said.

Additionally, they are allowed to vote after they serve their maximum sentence, are released on parole, or are pardoned.

An inmate is not allowed to vote if he is convicted of a felony or is on parole for a felony.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed it into law three years ago, making it the first presidential election to give inmates a voice.

“I mean it’s their constitutional right to vote and every citizen should go out and vote. If you don’t vote, you can’t complain,” Gayne said.

So do inmates vote? The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office saw 6 percent of its inmates cast a ballot this election, while the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office saw 5 percent cast ballots.

I have not received numbers from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office. Lawrence.

To help them make this decision, inmates were given the opportunity to watch and listen to the news to keep up with the political world. While also talking to their friends and family.

“It has to be either things I hear from family or on the news. I mean they have TVs in all the units so they can watch each other,” Gayne said.

Gayne believes inmate voter interest will increase with each presidential election as word still spreads about the new law.