Registering Voters at Harris County Jail
I learned about #ProjectOrange last year as part of my school’s (University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work) Voter Engagement and Political Justice Initiative. The organization is devoted to registering as many voters as possible who are in jail but have not yet gone to trial, and therefore have the right to vote. Harris County, where I reside, has one of the highest rates of pre-trial, legally innocent defendants in lockup. According to their website, roughly 7 out of 10 Harris County inmates are eligible to vote.
I was immediately drawn to this organization — partly because a close family member spent about half of 2017 in Cleveland County Jail. That’s why, back in October, I signed up to register Harris County inmates to vote.
Part of me was apprehensive about participating. Not solely because of the venue, but because I wondered, “Who am I to engage people in voting? I have voted three times in my life despite the fact that I’ve possessed the right to vote for twelve years this February.” Even though I haven’t always exercised my rights, I am exercising them now, and I want to make sure other people are empowered to do the same.
Laying Down The Rules
The #ProjectOrange staff was very professional and clear. I volunteered after they had already been to the jail a few times, so they had a system down. First we gathered in the downstairs lobby for check-in and to secure keys, cell phones, and other belongings in lockers. You could not bring your cell phone or smart watch into the jail.
Next we went to a room where they reminded us what all the forms were. (Note - We had to complete Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar (VDVR) training in advance of volunteering, so the paperwork was familiar.) They also went over some guidelines and tips for staying safe. While many of the inmates were innocent or nonviolent offenders, that was not the case for all.
One safety rule was we were only allowed to pass forms through the small slots in the doors to the inmates’ rooms, not pens. The inmates had to write with the inside of a pen that had no shell — the flimsy ink-holder part. That made things tough to read and a bit time-consuming, but was part of the safety precautions.
In addition, we were told to stand out of view of the cells if possible. If we stood near the door, we were informed, many inmates who hadn’t seen a feminine person in a while would chat you up and take as long as possible, making it difficult to move onto the next cell block.
Lastly, we were advised not to give out personal information. That sounds obvious, but some of the inmates may try to find out where we live and make compelling requests for us to slip messages to their friends and family on the outside.
All the women’s cell blocks had been visited, so into the men’s side we went.
Facing My Bias
I was paired up with one VDVR who had registered inmates to vote before and one police officer. We ventured from cell block to cell block registering voters. It was daunting. The facilities are, as you would imagine, more imposing than welcoming. There were lots of areas we walked through with inmates who were not detained in any way, which felt scary. My apprehension put me face-to-face with my bias that these men were all dangerous. Upon reflection, none of the men who were sharing space with us (most were working dish duty or laundry) did anything to make me uncomfortable.
Into The Cell Blocks
While things started out tame, the men in the cells got rowdier as we went along. The first cell block had no windows, only a door slot, which might explain the change in demeanor. It was hard to explain everything to the inmates through the tiny slot with climate-controlled wind blasting out at us. It was difficult to hear. But we made it work! Each time I was handed a filled-out-form, I felt good. These men were not in a pleasant situation, but at least they would be able to exercise their rights.
A few of the men joked with us, asking, “Are you voting for Oprah or Jesus?” Some would take forms even though you knew they were just trying to find a reason for you to talk to them, which was frustrating, because forms were limited. Still, I can understand why it happened.
The worst thing that occurred is my friend (somehow I missed this) saw several men pulling their genitalia out or masturbating right in front of us. I think I missed it because I was keeping my eyes to the ground to give the men privacy. Many of the cells had urinals right near the windows. I didn’t want to be one more person making them feel like they were under a microscope. However, that took away some of my awareness, for better or worse. Thinking about it now, I’m not sure what I’d do differently next time.
The Impact
In the end, the #ProjectOrange volunteers helped register 315 voters in just a few hours. This group of mostly women, that was organized by a woman, collectively proclaimed through our actions, “enough with the social construction that says being in jail means you don’t deserve a voice.” It is a small step to fight the oppressive voter legislation in our county.
Texas makes registering to vote more difficult than it needs to be, even for those who aren’t incarcerated.
You must be registered to vote by a Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar who has been deputized to register voters in your county. That means I, as a Harris County VDVR, can’t register my neighbors to the north in Montgomery County unless I become deputized in that county.
There is no online voter registration.
Voters have to register at least 30 days prior to an election in order to be eligible to vote, meaning there is no same-day registration like in some other states.
On top of that, you must renew your VDVR training every two years in order to be a registrar, so I just renewed mine on the 12th. If you’re from Harris County, you can sign up to become a VDVR here!
A felony will also impact your voting rights in Texas. “Individuals convicted of a felony are ineligible to vote while in prison, on parole, or on probation. Voting rights are automatically restored upon completion of all supervised release. Ex-offenders should re-register to vote.” (Learn about your state’s laws here!) Despite the fact that ex-offenders are able to reinstate their right to vote, there is unfortunately not much of an effort to educate them of this fact. Therefore, many ex-offenders are unaware and don’t register.
If you want to make an impact on voting rights, you can also pay attention to who is running for Chief Election Official in your area and vote in that election. In addition, you can write your local and state representatives and let your voice be heard.