People across Maine were voting on Tuesday, including people who are currently incarcerated.Maine and Vermont are the only states that let people who are behind bars vote, along with the District of Columbia.Maine Election Guide: What’s on the ballot for Mainers, 8 referendum questions”People are aware of Maine because it is this exemplar of like kind of an exceptional U.S. state,” said Rob Glover, professor of political science at the University of Maine.”What is most important is the fact that Maine can say that every citizen who’s a resident of our state, 18 years or older has the right to vote,” said Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.Maine Election Results: November 2023Before the Civil War, incarcerated people across the country had the right to vote, but then laws changed after the war.”Basically, in the 19th century, there were a bunch of states reacting to what had happened during reconstruction, which was this massive expansion in the power of people of color politically. And they started to weaponize the criminal justice system against people of color. Maine and Vermont never followed suit,” said Glover.People in Maine who are behind bars can vote absentee in the district where they lived prior to being confined to a correctional facility.Officials say voting can also be seen as part of an inmate’s rehabilitation process before they are released from custody.”Voting and participating in elections is part of that process of working with people who are incarcerated to strengthen those community ties and improve success when they are returned to their communities,” said Bellows.A relatively low number of inmates in Maine actually take advantage of their right to vote, with just 198 requesting absentee ballots this year, but experts say Mainers still feel a sense of pride in their elections.”I think that reflects Maine’s political culture,” said Glover. “The fact that we have this kind of expansive system of voting where even people who are incarcerated have the right to vote. And it’s really it’s a privilege, I think, to work in Maine.”
People across Maine were voting on Tuesday, including people who are currently incarcerated.
Maine and Vermont are the only states that let people who are behind bars vote, along with the District of Columbia.
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Maine Election Guide: What’s on the ballot for Mainers, 8 referendum questions
“People are aware of Maine because it is this exemplar of like kind of an exceptional U.S. state,” said Rob Glover, professor of political science at the University of Maine.
“What is most important is the fact that Maine can say that every citizen who’s a resident of our state, 18 years or older has the right to vote,” said Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
Maine Election Results: November 2023
Before the Civil War, incarcerated people across the country had the right to vote, but then laws changed after the war.
“Basically, in the 19th century, there were a bunch of states reacting to what had happened during reconstruction, which was this massive expansion in the power of people of color politically. And they started to weaponize the criminal justice system against people of color. Maine and Vermont never followed suit,” said Glover.
People in Maine who are behind bars can vote absentee in the district where they lived prior to being confined to a correctional facility.
Officials say voting can also be seen as part of an inmate’s rehabilitation process before they are released from custody.
“Voting and participating in elections is part of that process of working with people who are incarcerated to strengthen those community ties and improve success when they are returned to their communities,” said Bellows.
A relatively low number of inmates in Maine actually take advantage of their right to vote, with just 198 requesting absentee ballots this year, but experts say Mainers still feel a sense of pride in their elections.
“I think that reflects Maine’s political culture,” said Glover. “The fact that we have this kind of expansive system of voting where even people who are incarcerated have the right to vote. And it’s really it’s a privilege, I think, to work in Maine.”
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