The fight to help people vote on Rikers Island

Most people detained on Rikers Island are eligible to vote. But under New York City’s current system, thousands of them may not get a chance. 

As the election season intensifies, advocates are warning that this population in pretrial detention faces the risk of systematic disenfranchisement. They point to data indicating that in a recent primary, only a fifth of the people who requested ballots from Rikers ultimately had their votes counted.