The League of Women Voters of North Dakota is coordinating with state agencies and jails to make sure people with criminal records know their voting rights.
Under state law, North Dakota residents cannot vote while incarcerated for a felony. They can vote after they’re released, however, as long as they meet all other requirements. People can also vote if they’re serving time for a misdemeanor, or if they’ve been charged but not convicted.
But these nuances aren’t well understood by the public, said Whitney Oxendahl, a volunteer for the League of Women Voters of North Dakota.
Many volunteers for the League meet people who think having a felony means they permanently lose their voting rights, she said. Sometimes people with felonies also think they can vote in state elections but not federal races.
It’s common for people to think they can’t vote on probation or parole, either, said Adam Martin, CEO of the F5 Project, a nonprofit that supports people leaving incarceration.
He said these misconceptions could stem from other states having more restrictive voting laws for people with criminal records.
For example, South Dakota felons cannot vote until they finish their sentence, which includes parole and probation, according to a 2024 report by the Brennan Center.
The League is working to clear up these misconceptions by making sure the right information is out there, Oxendahl said.
“Even when I’ve spoken to community members — even some really involved community members who haven’t been through the justice system — many of them don’t know because there wasn’t a lot of information on it before we started,” she said.
The organization met with the North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office and asked if the office could put together a new voter guide for people with criminal records, Oxendahl said.
Now, they can find everything they need to know in one central location, she said.
The North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation put the fact sheet on state inmates’ personal electronic tablets for easy access, said Robyn Schmalenberger, reentry program manager for the agency.
You can read the full article at the North Dakota Monitor.