GOLDEN, Colo. — For the first time in this presidential election, inmates in Colorado were able to vote in-person while behind bars. Jefferson County election officials said its thanks to a new law they said is first of its kind.
Senate Bill 72 passed on May 31. The law requires in-person voting in every county jail or detention center for a minimum of six hours. Colorado is the first state in the nation to give inmates that opportunity statewide.
"We do have communities that historically been disenfranchised, and people died for our right to vote," said Jeffco Clerk and Recorder Amanda Gonzalez. "I ran for office because I wanted to make sure that every eligible voter was able to cast their vote, and we just got one step closer today."
Gonzalez said that in 2022, out of more than 900 people at the Jeffco jail, three inmates voted in the general election. In 2024, 300 inmates had voted in the general election so far. Election officials said that's roughly a 10,000% increase.
"I have no doubt that we’re going to continue to see a rise, and we’re going to see people participating in their democracy maybe for the first time, or at least for the first time fully understanding their rights," Gonzalez said.
Inmate Jesus Rodriguez did not even know he was eligible to vote until he was given the opportunity to vote in-person. Once election officials confirmed his status, he began to study the state's ballot information booklet.
"This book was very helpful because we do have a guy in my pod that can't read and write, so I helped him with his," he said. "Every person has a human right to vote and to speak their mind on any given subject no matter what we're currently here or whatever alleged charges we're here for."
In Colorado, the only people ineligible to vote because of their criminal background are those who are serving a felony conviction. If an inmate is serving a misdemeanor sentence or if they're awaiting trial, they can vote.
Kyle Giddings, a Jeffco election judge, said he has spent a lot of his career informing inmates of their voting right.
"The first time I had this conversation with someone was actually in this jail, when I was incarcerated in the Jeffco jail," he said. "When I was sitting in my pod with my fellow incarcerated folks, [I] got to have a conversation with a man who thought he never got to vote again because he had a felony conviction, and it started this whole chain of events of having conversations with everyone in the pod. So to come back and help folks get registered to vote and cast their ballot for the first time is an amazing feeling. It’s deeply personal."
Giddings said incarcerated and confined voters are highly motived and often have a big stake in voting. There is at least one state measure pertaining to the criminal justice system this election. Rodriguez was eager to vote for all the ballot measures.
"I think a couple of the amendments is why I’m here," Rodriguez said. "Because especially when it comes to per say the president and a couple of the laws that they’re trying to pass, I do believe that they’re very important for us to all vote on. In some of them, it’s a matter between life and death, and animals, and some of them are between the rights of what women can choose to do with their body because it’s their right to do."
"I believe when it comes to the president, we have a right to all stand on who we believe should be the president," Rodriguez said. "So I came and voted today because I believe that even if my one vote doesn’t matter, it still does matter to me because I was able to put my two cents into the situation and feel that my votes matter."
Jeffco election officials said there are safeguards to make sure they're giving ballots only to those who are eligible. The county clerk said they are learning how to make the system better for future elections.
"It will be one of my top 5 experiences, being able to vote," Rodriguez said. "How I feel about things does have meaning now because I was able to vote."
Gonzalez listened in as Rodriguez explained what voting meant to him. She began to cry as she realized the difference this made for some of the inmates.
"[Voting] is the way we express hope," she said. "It’s the way we express love for our community. It’s the way we have our voices heard. That’s why I do this work."