BREAKING: Harris County Moves To Restore Voting Rights For Jail Inmates
In an initiative supported by the Harris County Clerk's and Sheriff's Office, the Harris County Commissioner's Court voted to move forward with a measure that would allow jail inmates who qualify to vote to do so while being held in Harris County Jail.
"Remember, the ones sitting in the jail haven’t been convicted yet, unless they’ve been convicted of something else,” Commissioner Rodney Ellis said. “And for what it’s worth, there may be people in line to visit them who can vote.” Similarly, Commissioner Adrian Garcia who proposed the measure noted, “it’s their constitutional right, and so we need to make sure that we’re following that particular law."
County Clerk Diane Trautman said there may not be enough time to set up a voting site at the jail for this year’s election, but there would be time to do so for the 2020 presidential contest.
