Zachary Suri, Contributing Photographer

When Gus Marks-Hamilton finished parole in 2014, having spent nearly eight years in Connecticut prisons, he immediately registered to vote.

In his correctional facility, no absentee ballots were available. “It was simply an option that did not exist for people,” he said.

Now, Marks-Hamilton is a campaign manager for the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, advocating for state legislation that would make absentee ballots available to incarcerated people — an opportunity he and his fellow prisoners never had access to during his time behind bars.

If passed, House Bill 7229 would require that all state Department of Corrections facilities carry absentee ballots specifically designated for eligible incarcerated people. 

In Connecticut, people convicted of felonies are ineligible to vote. But people awaiting trial and those convicted of misdemeanor charges, which made up 30 percent of the state’s incarcerated population in 2019, are eligible voters. However, Ashley McCarthy, director of external affairs for the Connecticut Department of Corrections, said that logistical challenges often discourage eligible incarcerated people from voting. 

McCarthy explained that they must undergo a time-consuming process: requesting voter registration paperwork from their prison unit manager or counselor and filling it out; requesting an application for an absentee ballot from their town clerk; completing the application and mailing it to their town clerk; receiving and filling out the absentee ballot itself; and mailing the absentee ballot to their town clerk. 

By requiring Department of Corrections facilities to carry special absentee ballots, the bill would streamline this process for eligible voters. The only mail the prisoners would have to send would be the ballot itself. 

“If I get put on hold by the doctor’s office, I hang up,” McCarthy said. “How many people are we losing in the process of that second step?”

James Jeter, who was formerly incarcerated and now heads the Full Citizens Coalition to Unlock the Vote in Connecticut, is another strong supporter of the bill. 

Jeter said that eligible incarcerated voters casting their ballots stand to make a difference in local elections, which tend to have small margins of victory. For example, in 2024, State Senator Paul Honig defeated incumbent Republican Lisa Seminara by just 249 votes. 

“Adding an extra 500 votes to one party or the other during a primary is significant,” Jeter said. “It changes the relationship of the individual to their community. And if we can continue the cycle, then it can change the community’s relationship to city government.”

Marks-Hamilton added that voting could make incarcerated people feel more “engaged in their communities” during their time behind bars, potentially leading to lower reoffending rates.

Jeter and Marks-Hamilton stressed that the bill has received overwhelming support from legislators and the public. On April 14, legislators added the bill to the agenda for the state House of Representatives.
Incarcerated voters vote in districts that represent their last residential address.