Montco Prison Rocks The Vote: Inmates Cast Ballots For 2024 Election

EAGLEVILLE, PA — Local leaders worked with prison officials to help enable inmates at Montgomery County Correctional Facility to cast early votes in the 2024 election this week.

While convicted felons are not eligible to vote, individuals who are incarcerated and awaiting trial can still legally cast ballots. So can inmates convicted of a misdemeanor.

Most inmates at Montgomery County Correctional Facility are there for a short stay, and even if convicted of a felony, will have their voting rights reinstated when they're released.

“We are committed to ensuring that every eligible voter in Montgomery County is able to cast a ballot in the upcoming election,” Montgomery County Commissioner Jamila Winder said in a statement. “This is especially true for marginalized and often overlooked populations, including the incarcerated, many of whom have the right to cast a ballot."

The special partnership between Montgomery County Voter Services and the Montgomery County Correctional Facility resulted in 123 mail-in applications.

A total of 43 returned their ballots on the spot.

The county's elections staff worked with prisoners to educate them about their eligibility, and also provided one-on-one assistance with voter registration.

"They deserve to have a say in what the community they will be re-entering will look like," Winder added.

More than 100,000 mail-in ballots have already been returned from the populace at large in Montgomery County, officials said.