A first for Texas this week as some citizens voted in the constitutional amendment election from the state's biggest jail. These were people accused of and not convicted of a crime.
Durrel Douglas, the executive director of Houston Justice, operates Project Orange, a group that registers people in jail to vote. Under the pilot program, those in the Harris County lockup who were registered and arrested on or after the October 22nd deadline to apply for mail-in ballots got to vote in a secure area of the jail.
"We hit the pavement every Saturday for several hours until we covered the entire jail, going into every pod, every dormitory and every cell block," Douglas said. "Letting people know what the rules are and who can vote and who can't."
Douglas once worked for the Texas prison system. He also, on two occasions, spent the night in the Harris County jail on traffic infractions, namely being caught driving without insurance. "This could have hypothetically been something that would have applied to me if I was arrested the day before election day or during early vote and wouldn't have been able to vote," Douglas said.
Over 9,000 people are currently in the Harris County Jail and are awaiting trial.
He notes many unconvicted people are stuck in jail, simply because they cannot afford bail, saying: "If you are working second shift at Taco Bell, and your insurance lapsed last month and you happen to get pulled over and happen to get taken in, that shouldn't necessarily take away your right to vote."
Douglas would like to expand this program for the March primary and for next year's general election. He also wants to see it expanded to cover early voting.
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