Unlocking the Vote in Nevada

An initiative of the EP Jail & Post-Release Voting Working Group and MassLib Nevada
Meet MassLib Nevada's Jagada ChambersMeet Nevada Assemblyman Jovan Jackson

Prisoners Legal Advocacy Network
244 5th Avenue, Suite 2517
New York, NY 10001

EP-Jail-Post-Release-Voting-Co-Leads@PLAN.lawyer

IN NEVADA CONTACT MASS LIB:
https://massliberationnv.com/contact/

Election Protection Jail & Post-Release Voting Working Group

The Working Group collaborates with partners and stakeholders to defend and expand the voting rights of presently and formerly incarcerated voters.  

Nevada Assemblyman Jovan Jackson

In this video message, formerly incarcerated Nevada state legislator Jovan Jackson explains the re-enfranchisement of Nevadans impacted by the criminal legal system. Otherwise eligible voters now regain their right to vote immediately upon their release from prison, even if they are on probation or parole.

Impacted People In Elected Office

Nevada Assemblyman Jovan Jackson

Directly Impacted People As Elected Lawmakers

There are lots of ways for formerly incarcerated people to have a voice and an impact. In addition to organizing and voting, MassLib Nevada and PLAN are also campaigning to increase the representation of formerly incarcerated people in elected office.

Nevada Assemblyman Jovan Jackson was the first formerly incarcerated Nevadan to complete a voter registration form following his advocacy for the passage of AB431, which automatically restored voting rights upon Nevadans’ release from prison.  He now serves as the first formerly incarcerated Nevada state legislator.  In these difficult times, he embodies the attainability of the voting rights movement’s dream of a democracy that not only includes impacted communities, but may be transformed to be led by and with us.

At the age of 22, Jovan experienced a mental health crisis due to substance abuse, resulting in a two-year prison sentence in the Nevada Department of Corrections. Since his release in 2018, Jovan has been dedicated to advocating for vulnerable populations and aims to serve as the incumbent  Assemblymember for District Six, home of Las Vegas’ Historic Westside.

Jovan hopes his story will inspire others. “My health challenges motivated me to become an advocate. To support those with mental health conditions, I created a housing program for individuals receiving disability benefits. I will continue to champion the mental health community throughout my lifelong journey.”

Impacted People In Elected Office

MassLib Executive Director Jagada Chambers

Directly Impacted People In Leadership

People impacted by the criminal legal system are not only participating in the expansion of democracy to include our communities; we are leading the way.

For the past decade, Jagada Chambers has made his home in Las Vegas, Nevada after being introduced to civic engagement during the 2016 General Election in his Northern California hometown. Jagada was moved to join Las Vegas community organizer Leslie Turner in her vision of building out the Mass Liberation Project, a directly impacted-led, Black Liberation organization. Together the pair have been able to build an organization that is branded as “The Communities Organization” in the greater Las Vegas Valley. Mass Lib has been immersed in each of Nevada’s elections dating back to the 2018 June Primary. 

Jagada has been at the forefront of Nevada’s Rights Restoration movement since its inception, serving as the state’s Rights Restoration Coordinator with democracy organization Silver State Voices. Outside of engaging, educating, and activating formerly incarcerated potential voters, Nevada has also witnessed tremendous strides with in-jail voting. Efforts have produced election booths in the state’s largest jail facility for both early voting and General Election Day voting.

Jagada is celebrating more than 10 years of freedom after completing a 65-month sentence in the Florida Department of Corrections in 2004. He is a loving husband to his wife of 20-years and an intentional father to his 14-year-old son who is beginning High School this summer in Las Vegas.

MassLib Nevada Executive Director Jagada Chambers

In this video, formerly incarcerated Nevada advocate Jagada Chambers describes the joy and power of welcoming eligible impacted voters into the community of Nevada organizers and advocates. He describes the efforts of his organization to build community, overcome disinformation, and welcome formerly incarcerated people home.

Ladies' Paint Night

Meet other system-impacted Nevada voters at one of our events!

Men’s Chess Club

Build community by joining one of our teams!

Volunteer!

Help us engage voters by joining our passionate family of volunteers.

We’ll Come To You!

No time for activities? No problem! We host information and voter registration tables throughout the community.

Presently & Formerly Incarcerated Nevada Voters

Expanded Voting Rights & Voting Procedures

Impacted Advocates & Allies Lobby For Reform

Impacted advocates and allies lobbied for legislative reforms to increase incarcerated voters' access to the ballot and re-enfranchise formerly incarcerated Nevada citizens who are on probation or parole.

2019: Nevada Lawmakers Passed AB431

Assembly Bill 431 restored the voting rights of Nevadans who were convicted of a criminal offense but are not currently incarcerated. NEVADANS' RIGHT TO VOTE IS IMMEDIATELY RESTORED WHEN THEY RELEASE FROM PRISON, EVEN IF THEY ARE ON PROBATION OR PAROLE.

2023: Nevada Lawmakers Passed AB286

Assembly Bill 286 requires local jails to create processes to allow those in local jails to vote. People detained in jails are normally either being held during pre-trial or serving a misdemeanor sentence and have, thus, not lost their right to vote. The ACLU of Nevada has assessed whether jails are in compliance with the bill and worked with lawmakers and other advocates to hold facilities accountable to the Bill’s requirements.

Registering to Vote in Nevada

Although Nevada has online and same-day registration for people in the outside community, eligible incarcerated Nevada voters who are registering to vote by mail should allow extra time for processing of their paper registration form. Voters who have recently released from prison may need to re-register. Detailed information is available in the Election Protection Jail & Post-Release Voting Working Group’s Voting Guide for Nevadans impacted by the criminal legal system.

Redirecting Your Ballot If Incarcerated

Eligible Nevada voters who are incarcerated in a jail that does not have in-person voting may need to submit a Mail Ballot Request Form to inform the Secretary of State of the facility address to which their ballot should be mailed. This form should be completed as soon as possible to allow time for processing and mailing of the paper ballot.

Voting Guidance For Directly Impacted Nevadans

If you are a presently or formerly incarcerated Nevadan who has questions about your voting eligibility or how to vote in Nevada, assistance is available! If you have questions, you can call the Secretary of State’s office at 775-687-VOTE (8683), call the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE, or contact MassLib Nevada.

LEARN MORE

Latest News & Updates

National Voter Registration Day Sidewalk Party!

Silver State Voices
September 20, 2024

Uncaged Voices and Silver State Voices are co-hosting a National Voter Registration Day Sidewalk Party from 12pm to 4pm on Tuesday, September 20th on Bonanza Road in Las Vegas.  For more information, call the Rights Restoration Hotline: 877-431-1601.

 

CNN Features Nevada Partners In Jail Voting Reporting

CNN
June 12, 2024

CNN interviewed Silver State Voices and ACLU of Nevada partners in reporting about jail voting in a Las Vegas jail. The article and video can be accessed here: https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/12/politics/felons-inmates-voting-what-matters/index.html

 

ACLU of Nevada Advocates for AB 286 Compliance

ACLU of nevada
May 30, 2024

The ACLU of Nevada has been working with local governments throughout Nevada to implement policies to give eligible voters detained in these facilities streamlined access to the ballot box.  See: https://www.aclunv.org/en/press-releases/aclu-nevada-champions-voting-rights-access-voters-county-jails

 

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