Implementing ballot voting in regional jails. Most people have given little or no thought to the fact that inmates incarcerated in jails [who have never been convicted of prior felonies] have not lost their right to vote. The National Right To Vote Coalition should rightfully be given credit for creating awareness of this fact, which was published in their “Voting While Incarcerated: A Tool Kit for Advocates Seeking to Register, and Facilitate Voting by, Eligible People in Jail.” However; this massive [mostly liberal] national coalition, whose members include the ACLU, DEMOS, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and The Sentencing Project, as of September 2005, had only implemented ballot voting in seven [7] regional jails. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 1999 there were 3,376 jails, [not including the additional jails in Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Vermont, which operates integrated jail/prison systems]. OTWR is of the mindset that the Right To Vote outreach and approach leaves much to be desired. The fact that there are so many jails, and so few allowing men and women access to their constitutional right is wholly unacceptable. It begs the question, "is there a better way to encourage regional jail administrators to allow ballot voting?" Therefore, OTWR modified the approach of the Right To Vote Coalition, and made our outreach efforts more non-partisan and transparent, emphasizing the mutually positive benefits associated with allowing inmates to exercise their constitutional right to suffrage. In other words ­ accentuate the positive ­ emphasizing the potential to lower crime ­ sets good example for youth ­ it’s the right thing to do. The Virginia Reentry Initiative is structured around the premise that reducing recidivism, creating safer neighborhoods and communities is not the sole domain of neither the Democrats nor Republicans. It is an American problem. It requires an American solution. According to the American Correctional Association [the largest national organization representing prison industry leaders], the statistics clearly demonstrate that when a former offender is allowed to participate in the electoral process, he/she is more apt to become a law-abiding and productive individual. OTWR’s Virginia Reentry Initiative is responsible for initiating the dialogue for the nation's eighth regional jail which allows ballot voting for non-felons. In May 2006, the Blue Ridge Regional Jail allowed inmates to cast ballots for the Lynchburg City Council election. There are currently five othe regional jails in Virginia who have expressed a geniune interest in allowing ballot voting in their facility. Operation Turnaround Western Region is not affiliated with any political organization, and is not actively engaged in the restoration of voting privileges for felons. The Virginia Reentry Initiative (VRI) congratulates Clarke/Frederick/Winchester Regional Jail in Winchester, Virginia on officially becoming the second regional facility to commit to ballot voting for its inmates who have not been convicted of a felony. VRI has tentative commitments from five (5) other regional jails across the commonwealth, and we fully anticipate making further announcements in the very near future. If your Virginia organization would like more information concerning this worthwhile issue, please call Reverend Gunn at (434) 528-0435. or email me at gunn52@verizon.net. If you live outside Virginia and would like Virginia Reentry Initiative to conduct workshops in your state, feel free to contact Gunn at the above number or email.