Last Thursday and Friday, Voting Access For All Coalition (VAAC) visited the Genesee County Jail to provide civic education and register eligible detained individuals to vote.

VAAC Executive Director Angela Davenport was joined by VAAC ambassadors Blake Lindsey and Richard Dyer Bey, both formerly incarcerated activists, along with community advocate Veronica Taylor, Faith In Action’s Eileen Hayes, and Nation Outside’s Rick Speck.

The visit was organized at the invitation of Johnell Allen Bey and focused on voter eligibility, absentee voting, voting rights, and civic participation for individuals detained in the jail who remain eligible to vote under Michigan law.

Over the course of the two days, the team registered more than 80 voters.

Many people detained in Michigan county jails remain eligible to vote because they are awaiting trial and have not been convicted and sentenced. Yet voting access inside jails is often inconsistent or nonexistent without intentional systems in place. Eligible voters can face barriers including limited access to voter information, delays in jail mail systems, absentee ballot coordination issues, and lack of communication around eligibility and voting procedures.

During the visit, the team also witnessed firsthand the Genesee County Clerk’s commitment to helping ensure eligible voters are not forgotten simply because they are detained. Conversations focused not only on voter registration, but also on the infrastructure and coordination required to support jail voting access in practice.

The office’s willingness to engage around absentee ballot access, voter education, logistics, and the broader expansion of jail voting efforts offered an example of how local election officials, sheriffs, advocates, and community organizations can work together to strengthen participation for eligible voters who are often overlooked in the democratic process.

VAAC extends a special thank you to Genesee County Clerk/Register of Deeds Domonique Clemons for the office’s partnership and support in helping make this effort possible.

The visit also created space for conversations about how elections, local government, and public policy affect the daily lives of detained individuals, their families, and their communities.

VAAC continues to support jail voting efforts across Michigan through civic education, absentee ballot assistance, voter registration, and collaboration with clerks, sheriffs, advocates, and directly impacted community members working to expand access for eligible voters.

To see more photos from the visit, stop by VAAC’s Facebook and Instagram pages and show some love to the post highlighting the team’s work inside the Genesee County Jail.