A new report from The Sentencing Project, Voting From Prison: Lessons From Maine and Vermont, reveals that while people in Maine and Vermont retain their right to vote while incarcerated, fewer than 10% of eligible voters in prison cast ballots in the 2018 election.

Barriers like limited access to information, literacy challenges, and complex absentee ballot processes keep participation low, even in states where voting rights are legally intact.

The report also found that officials and stakeholders in both states expressed strong support for on-site polling places in prisons — an approach that could significantly improve access and turnout.

And most powerfully, incarcerated individuals described voting as a way to stay connected to their communities and maintain a sense of civic identity.