Election officials say it’s possible two out of every three eligible voters in Texas could cast a ballot by Tuesday.
That includes a small, but potentially growing number of Texans sitting in county jails.
Dallas County will have 455 vote centers open on November 5.
In addition, there is one polling location inside the Dallas County Jail.
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Tuesday will mark the seventh countywide, and first major, election since jail-based voting started in Dallas County in May 2023.
Harris County started providing jail-based voting in 2021.
Sheriff Marian Brown says before last year, inmates had the option for mail-in voting.
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“We get a good reaction from people because they can’t believe that they can actually vote on the inside here,” Brown said.
So who can vote behind bars in Texas?
Anyone convicted of a felony and still completing a sentence, including parole, probation or community supervision is not eligible to vote.
County jails largely hold people with misdemeanor convictions and those arrested for crimes that have not yet been adjudicated, such as awaiting trial.
In most cases, those inmates are eligible to vote.
Bob Libal says a growing number of counties and a few states have adopted a policy providing a jail-based polling location.
He works with The Sentencing Project, a nonprofit focused on issues related to mass incarceration.
“There are tens of thousands of people who are incarcerated in jails who are eligible to vote,” Libal said.
He adds expanding jail-based voting has benefits beyond increased participation.
“Studies also show that when people vote, they are less likely to recommit offenses,” Libal said.
In Dallas County, Brown says messages promoting election day are played on closed-circuit television and on posters in inmate common areas.
The Dallas County Elections Department did not immediately respond when asked about the number of inmates who have voted in the previous six countywide elections.
Brown says how many inmates will vote on Tuesday is still unknown, but having the option available is a service the county is committed to providing.
“If they’ve not been convicted of that felony or something that makes them ineligible to vote then we want them to have the opportunity to participate in the process,” Brown said.
