Effective Methods to Engage Isolated Jailed Voters

For the past two years, Spread The Vote has been able to engage eligible incarcerated citizens seeking access to the ballot in several states. As part of this work, we discovered a few effective engagement methods for connecting with jailed voters. Today we’re talking about the power of the postcard. 

Eye catching, quick to read and easy to share Election Reminder Postcards were mailed to thousands of incarcerated citizens across several facility locations in eight states (MI, VA, WI, IL, IN, NC, NY, WA and WI) for the November 2022 election. “I received a postcard and am interested in voting. Please send me a participant packet as soon as possible.” a voter jailed in Virginia wrote to us. Dozens of people in prison responded to the mailout requesting more information, printed copies of state-specific forms, and even help getting an ID post-release. This effort resulted in increased participation in each of our target states, most notably in Michigan’s Genesee County Jail and Illinois’ Cook County Jail, where partners on the ground regularly went into local jails in order to register jailed absentee voters. This is why we look forward to expanding the postcard mailing program this year - we’re mailing postcards to a new set of jailed voters in our target states, encouraging them with resources to participate in their local elections. This year started off with a mass mailing to jails in Illinois, including in Cook, Macon, Stephenson, Christian, St. Clair, DuPage, and Winnebago County Jails.

Unfortunately, many voters in jails are burdened with the task of seeking out the information they need to register, request a ballot, or even determine whether they’re eligible to vote. This is even more difficult when there aren’t sufficient volunteers on the ground willing to enter facilities in their area. As a result, jailed voters interested in participating in elections needed to write a letter to their local clerk in order to request that a registration form and/or absentee ballot request form be mailed to them at their facility. Often, the mail-in deadlines that jailed voters depend on are farther in advance than in-person deadlines, so a long wait in the mailroom could delay or even disrupt an eligible voter’s opportunity to cast a ballot.

In response to this, we’ve consolidated the required state-specific forms, county submission, and eligibility information that voters need, and mail them directly to their facility, so that they can register by mail immediately. In addition to supplying these packets to our partners, we also respond directly to jailed voters with these materials, especially for those who request information in response to our deadline reminder postcards. Our postcards aren’t complex - they’re designed to inform and inspire civic engagement without being over complicated or wordy. Check them out below

If you’re interested in volunteering with us to write postcards for jailed voters, we would love to include a facility in your area in our mailing effort - elections are coming up in Illinois, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Indiana, Virginia and New York. This program works to engage jailed voters in their local elections residing in the states we serve year-round. You can sign up to send reminder postcards, or if you work with a local jail, connect with us to establish elements of our program on your campus. Email us at vbmij@spreadthevote.org

Designed for eligible voters jailed in Illinois during 2023 elections

Designed for eligible voters jailed in Wisconsin during 2023 election