San Quentin prisoners cast their votes in mock elections to make their voices heard

SAN QUENTIN, calf. (KGO) — An election year tradition just ended at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Prisoners voted in a mock election to make their voices heard despite being denied the right to vote while serving felony sentences.

Hundreds of prisoners incarcerated at San Quentin keep up with the news, not only to stay informed but also to inform voters.

“I like to make people feel like their voice counts,” said Juan Moreno Haines, who is incarcerated at San Quentin.

Haines is one of an estimated 4 million people across the country who will not get a chance to vote in the 2024 election because they have been convicted of a felony, have not served a prison sentence or are on probation.

“Democracy needs everyone and we are part of society,” Haines said. “The fact that we are incarcerated shows that we are still American citizens. We care about our communities and our voices matter.”

In the last four presidential elections, Haines was part of the team that organized a mock election at the facility: real views were expressed, but no real votes.

The ballots cast by these men will not be included in the final count, but this will ensure that their views are not counted.

Nationally, about one in 52 adults cannot vote because of a current or previous felony conviction. In California, you can vote after you have completed your sentence – but not if you are currently in a state or federal prison.

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“Who are you going to vote for Juan?” asked ABC7 News anchor Julian Glover a few weeks before the vote.

“Well, I’m really undecided at this point,” Haines replied.

Haines may be undecided, but his voice will not go unheard.

For the first time, the mock election was supported by Mount Tamalpais College, the accredited school that helps people incarcerated at San Quentin earn an Associate of Arts degree.

“You can lock them behind walls, but there are other ways to make their voices heard,” said Amy Jamgochian, the school’s chief academic officer.

Jamgochian’s class helped prepare the ballots that were mailed to the more than 3,200 people incarcerated at the facility.

“What do you say to the people who say, I don’t want to hear about these incarcerated voices. “I don’t care what they have to say?” Glover asked.

“What this means for America is that we have a huge segment of the population that no one hears from and is not represented in elections,” Jamgochian said. “The U.S. can benefit from hearing from people who are incarcerated.”

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Mount Tamalpais College shared the results of the mock election with ABC7 News:

• 341 prisoners at San Quentin returned their ballot to be counted – a turnout rate of about 10%
• 57% voted for Vice President Kamala Harris for president, while 28% voted for former President Donald Trump
• Third-party candidates RFK Jr. and Jill Stein both received 2% of the vote

Of the other races on the ballot, Democrat Adam Schiff defeated Republican Steve Garvey in the Senate race by 13 points in the mock vote – with the majority (46%) not participating in the race at all.

Proposition 6, which would end involuntary confinement in prisons, won with 77% of the vote, and Proposition 36, which would increase penalties for people committing certain drug or theft offenses, was defeated with a “no” vote of 57%.

“As someone who has been incarcerated his entire adult life. I never had the chance to vote in society,” said Jessie Milo.

For people like Milo, this mock vote means engaging with the community that they still care about, even if they are not physically a part of it.

“So if we have a mock election, I imagine that I am in the free world and that my vote is counted. And it’s really cathartic that I can express myself,” Milo said.

It’s a sentiment shared by many who cast their mock ballots and wrote things like, “I want to vote because we matter too” and “My vote should matter just as much as everyone else’s – I’m an American.”

The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights helped educate prisoners about bills and ballot initiatives that affect them.

“If they are curious about a bill or ballot initiative, we send them the actual text so they are as informed as possible,” said James King, co-program director at the Ella Baker Center.

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King was once incarcerated at San Quentin and now supports outside civic engagement.

“If they need the physical address of a legislator in Sacramento, we can make sure they can get in touch with them,” he added.

This makes all the difference in preparing these men for an eventual return home.

“When you grow up in the community, you learn violence as a form of communication. So when you eliminate violence from your life, you feel kind of powerless,” Milo said. “Civic engagement gave me my voice back.”

A voice, but no vote in our increasingly divided democracy.

In California, people in county jails awaiting trial have the right to vote, although many people do not have access to a polling place.

In 2023, a proposal to give prisoners serving felony sentences the right to vote — like the men you heard in the story — failed to gain enough support in Sacramento.