A majority of the people in New York jails are being held pre trial and have not yet been convicted of a felony. That means they still have the legal right to vote in local and national elections. 

Hazel Weiser is a member of the Criminal Justice Reform Committee of the New York State League of Women Voters and authored a statewide report last year on voting in jails. Victor Pate is a member New York City's Vote in Jails Coalition and visits Rikers monthly with a team of volunteers to help the jailed population register to vote. They joined WNYC Morning Edition host Michael Hill to share what they say are the barriers to actually getting ballots cast