Goal
Ensure that eligible voters detained in county jails have meaningful access to register and vote, and that jail voting becomes institutionalized across Michigan.
2026 Program Scope
VAAC leads and supports jail voting efforts through:
- Direct coordination with county clerks, sheriffs, and jail administrators
- Voter registration and absentee ballot access inside jails
- Know Your Rights education for detained individuals
- Vote by Mail processes and logistical support
- Volunteer and ambassador engagement
- Collaboration with the Secretary of State and local election officials
2026 Focus
- Confirm prior jail voting programs are still active and add programs where possible for greatest impact
- Convene and lead a statewide Jail Voting Work Group
- Standardize best practices for jail-based voter education and access
- Advance a long-term strategy for voting access in jail and prison settings
- Collect data and stories to inform policy and administrative reform
Jail voting is both a service and a systems change strategy. Each successful jail voting operation builds precedent, infrastructure, and momentum toward statewide reform.
The Voting Access for All Coalition seeks to ensure every eligible voter in Michigan has the opportunity to vote. That includes people who are awaiting arraignment, trial, or sentencing, regardless of incarceration status.
Jail voting does occur in many county jails within Michigan, but not everywhere and not in a common and consistent manner. Where we cannot identify a jail voting program happening, we reach out to local Jail Administrators, County Clerks and other non-profits to support or initiate new jail voting programs.
To join our Jail Voting Team as a volunteer, please contact us and someone will reach out to you with more information.
Available materials:
We developed the following one pager to support discussions with county clerks about jail voting
We developed the following 2-page document to inform people in jail awaiting arraignment, trial or sentiencing of their right to vote.
Contact us to have the above document updated with your unique requirements or to request copies.
We teamed up with VoteByMailInJail, a program from Spread the Vote, to mail postcards to people incarcerated in jails pre-trial and sentencing, to inform them of their right to vote, prior to the 2024 primary.
- 2024 Primary Post card page 1 from VoteByMailInJail and VAAC
- 2024 Primary Post card page 2 from VoteByMailInJail and VAAC
We used the following materials in 2022 from Partner organizations
- 2022 Spread the Vote Michigan Incarcerated Voter guide
- 2022 Vote By Mail in Jail voter packet
Jail Voting Report
Voting Access For All and Nation Outside have produced an in-depth report on voting in Michigan jails titled “Ensuring the Right to Vote: How to Expand Voting Access in Michigan Jails.”
VAAC promotes the acceptance of all recommendations included in this report, in order to ensure people held in Michigan jails pre-trial have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote.
EN 
ES