In late February, a network of organizations involved in disenfranchisement issues—some focusing on the incarcerated—met to discuss the state of the movement and various related initiatives. One suggestion that emerged was to implement voter education in creative spaces often occupied by people with connections to incarceration. Another proposal was to disseminate voting information through businesses that provide transportation services to people visiting incarcerated loved ones. On the ride to connect with incarcerated friends and family, passengers would learn of voting rights, of the restrictions faced by those on the inside, and of the importance of pushing back.

Several pieces of legislation are being advanced to enfranchise every citizen silenced through incarceration. Most notable was a bill in New Jersey introduced on February 26 that would restore the vote to all people in the state, both inside and outside of prison. This would make New Jersey the third state to remove all disenfranchisement due to criminal conviction.

Outside of efforts to pass legislation, the Emancipation Initiative launched a vote donation program—its response to former Massachusetts Governor Paul Cellucci’s war against incarcerated voters, which in 2000 rolled back voting rights for the state’s prison population. The brainchild of Elly Kalfus and Rachel Corey, the “Ballots Over Bars” campaign is a collaborative effort begun by people in prison that works to “return political power to people incarcerated in Massachusetts.”

“I just had this idea one day where I said [to Rachel Corey that] everyone’s talking about the [2016] election and what a big deal it is that it’s Trump versus Hillary, and I didn’t feel passionately about it,” Kalfus explained in a telephone interview. She then asked her colleague: “Could we give our votes to someone in prison so they could choose who we should vote for?”

The group began recruiting volunteers to do just that; they were matched with people in prison, and voted as the prisoners requested. Unfortunately, the interest from people inside the prison was so great that there were not enough volunteers to match all of them with surrogate voters. “We hope to double our efforts for the next election,” Corey said. In a state where the incarcerated can run for office—but can’t even vote for themselves—the Emancipation Initiative is working to find way to amplify the voices of the incarcerated; to recognize, as Corey puts it, the right of people to be “full human beings.”

Efforts like “Ballots Over Bars” demonstrate the rising momentum from both people inside prison and their allies in the community to make universal franchise a reality. With more projects like this, the United States might actually join the ranks of countries that view incarcerated people as “full human beings.” As someone who spent over 22 years of my life denied the right to vote because of my incarceration, this would be a most welcome development.