Ahead of Super Tuesday next week, hundreds of inmates from the two Denver County jails submitted ballots this week to vote in the presidential primary election. Officials expect the votes will result in higher internal turnout rates than those voting as a free citizen.

“The turnout within participation of folks who are in custody is actually higher than the turnout of folks who are not in custody,” Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul López told The Denver Gazette.

“It says something about how powerful this democracy is and why we should participate in it,” he said.

Denver County Sheriff’s Department, and city officials, offered inmates a chance to vote for the first time during 2020’s presidential election, and will offer it again during November’s general election.

Since then “we’ve increased our presence for folks who are in custody,” said López.

Colorado’s turnout rate during the 2020 primary election saw 45.47% of registered voters cast their votes, according to the Secretary of State. At the time, Denver’s registered voter turnout rate was 47.3%.

The two participating jails operated by the Denver Sheriff’s Department, Denver County Jail and downtown’s Denver Detention Center, combine for a current total of 1,688 inmates in custody, which not all are eligible to vote.

During 2023’s election, 159 of 187 eligible voters in Denver Sheriff’s custody submitted ballots, according to the clerk’s office.

The demand for inmate voting is “growing” and “has been very well received,” Denver Sheriff Elias Diggins said Wednesday.

“Being able to vote while they’re in custody helps them to remember that ‘you’re going back home, you’re going back and you should be a good citizen.’ And this is a part of that,” he said.

The sheriff’s department partners with the Clerk and Recorder’s office, League of Women Voters and the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition to provide inmate voting opportunities.

“We see that there’s a lot of confined voters who pay attention to politics,” said CCJRC Civic Engagement Manager Jasmine Ross, adding that inmate voter turnout has increased over the years.

Ross said turnout rates are higher in jail because offering these opportunities “gets more people involved in wanting to learn more about elections, even if they don’t even know who’s running.”

“I think sometimes as people get older, they become more engaged in being community members and they get interested in certain candidates or certain issues and they want to become more involved in,” Diggins said.

Casting a ballot in custody was a comfortable and simple procedure, said inmates trying to decide whether to vote for Republicans Nikki Haley or Donald Trump at the Denver Detention Center on Wednesday.

“They made it fun and enjoyable, easy to do,” said inmate Joseph Shaabneh, who voted for the first time on Wednesday.

The newly registered voter chose to vote Wednesday because “they put Trump on the ballot and he’s a felon, so I have to vote for a felon,” Shaabneh said.

Convicted felons aren’t able to legally vote in Colorado. Those initially charged with felony counts are still able to vote, as long as they have yet to be convicted, according to a sheriff’s office spokesperson.

Only seven in the custody of the sheriff’s department are convicted felons awaiting transfer to prison, the spokesperson said.

Over the past several months leading up to the primaries, the sheriff’s department and CCJRC provided inmates with election resources to learn more about the candidates, how to register to vote and how specific elections work, according to Diggins.

One inmate, Glenn Burch, said he watched the news almost every day to help him make an informed decision.

“I see what’s going on around the world,” said Burch, who is serving time on a robbery conviction. “I think it’s important for people to vote and to understand what’s going on in our community.”

Voting should be allowed to everyone “as long as they are citizens,” said inmate Rodney Milliser.

“I never really believed in the political system before,” Shaabneh said. “I just believe some changes need to happen. Maybe, we can make them happen.”