Ingham County officials are visiting jail inmates to help them register to vote on November 3.
County Clerk Barb Byrum and Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth will meet with about 100 county inmates to ensure they’re ready to cast their ballot.
Michigan law allows people to vote before and after serving their sentences, but not during.
Byrum says it’s important for inmates awaiting trial or sentencing to know they’re not forgotten.
“These are our neighbors, these are our family members…and we need to make sure that their voice is heard and they’re afforded the opportunity to exercise their right to vote,” Byrum says.
Nationally, a historic number of people are voting absentee.
Byrum says that makes it difficult to predict physical turnout at the polls on Election Night.
She says her office is actively working to ensure a safe and secure process.
“The polling location on Election Day is sacred ground,” Byrum asserts. “There is to be absolutely no campaigning, no voter intimidation, no misbehavior within 100 feet of the entrance of that polling location.”
On Friday, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued a statewide ban on open carry firearms at the polls.