Inmates' rights to cast their votes- They can do so unless convicted of a felony
by Ed Anderson - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- A north Louisiana senator said Thursday that he asked for a legal opinion on the voting rights of inmates to help educate jailers that some prisoners are entitled to cast ballots.

Sen. Charles Jones, D-Monroe, said he wanted to "raise the awareness of the incarcerated" and their jailers on voting rights as the fall elections near.

Attorney General Charles Foti's office released a legal opinion this week saying that all inmates who are jailed but have not been convicted of felony charges and are awaiting trial can vote. The opinion said that individuals convicted of felonies are barred from voting.

Elections officials said that a person convicted of a misdemeanor or a crime less serious than a felony also are eligible to vote from jail. The opinion, written by Assistant Attorney General William Bryan III, said the only way registered inmates can vote is by mail.

Bernard Boudreaux III, undersecretary of the state Department of Safety and Corrections, said there are more than 19,000 inmates being held in parish jails for the state. He said he has "no clue" how many are awaiting trial and eligible to vote.

Hal Turner, executive director of the Louisiana Sheriffs Association, said he did not know how many inmates could vote based on the legal opinion. "My country boy guess is that it would be thousands," he said.

Jones estimated that at least 10,000 individuals who are in jail awaiting trial could vote but are not aware they have the right to do so.