Eligible voters at the Oklahoma County Detention Center got mail-in ballots ahead of Election Day this year. 

Six detainees filled out their absentee ballots last week, said Mark Opgrande, a spokesperson for the jail. 

While it’s a small number, the jail is breaking new ground. 

“It’s the first time I’m aware of anyone ever voting in this jail,” Opgrande said.

The jail had more people request ballots and later released and others who weren’t eligible to vote, he said. 

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People convicted of felonies lose their voting rights for the duration of their sentences in Oklahoma, but those convicted of misdemeanors and many jail detainees who are awaiting trial are still eligible to vote. 

About 75% of people in county jails in Oklahoma haven’t been convicted, according to a December 2023 analysis from a state criminal justice task force. Oklahoma also has had consistently higher incarceration rates than other states for people awaiting trial, the report found. 

A spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Election Board said there are no voting laws that cover people in jail who are eligible to vote during an election.  

“No excuse is needed to vote by mail absentee in Oklahoma, regardless of whether or not an eligible voter is incarcerated,” the spokesperson said. 

The Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association said it wasn’t aware of any programs in the state to help people incarcerated in county jails vote. 

Andy Moore, founder of the civic engagement group Let’s Fix This, said Oklahoma County Detention Center CEO Brandi Garner reached out to the organization earlier in the year to discuss how the jail could ensure detainees had the opportunity to vote. 

Let’s Fix This created a program that uses pop-up notifications on the tablet devices available in the jail to educate detainees on their voting eligibility, how to register to vote and request absentee ballots. The program is still evolving and wasn’t fully implemented in time for the 2024 general election, Moore said. But he anticipates it will be in place early next year. 

Helping incarcerated people vote has been a long-time interest of Let’s Fix This, but that didn’t seem possible under previous jail administrations, Moore said. 

“We were excited to learn that it is not just an interest but actually a priority for Brandi,” Moore said in an email to The Frontier. “She shares our belief that all eligible voters should have the opportunity to vote in every election.”