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Nearly 57,000 formerly incarcerated Minnesotans will be able to vote on Tuesday, according to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.

For some, it’ll be their first time voting in a presidential election. Ahead of Election Day, Simon urged anyone with a felony conviction who has been released from prison or jail to make it to the polls. 

“Restoring the freedom to vote to so many in the state is the determination that this is really good for everybody. Not just the person involved, but the rest of the community generally because we know that if a person feels invested, a person feels a sense of ownership in the community, in the city, in the state, that they are far, far less likely to reoffend,” said Simon in a press conference earlier this week.

As of June 2023, the state’s Restore the Vote law allows 

formerly incarcerated Minnesotans to be able to vote

. To be eligible, Simon said a voter must be at least 18, a resident of Minnesota for at least 20 days, a U.S. citizen not under court order revoking the right to vote and not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction.

Mario Jackson is one of the 57,000 that will be able to cast a ballot on Nov. 5. He says it’ll be his first time voting.

“I want to make my grand appearance, like the last one into the party, right?” said Jackson, who is 41. “So many people do have their right to vote back now, and a lot of people are going to exercise that right. And you know, it’s nice to make that a statement.”

Jackson works as a contractor in construction and lives in Minneapolis. He was incarcerated at the age of 22 and was released from prison in 2018.

Shortly after he left prison a few years ago, Jackson said he helped canvass and phonebank to get Minnesota’s felon voting rights law passed.

“I just felt like I was at a perfect time. Those years I was incarcerated, I looked for the moment to be able to come out and let my voice be heard,” he said.

Jackson plans to vote on Election Day. As a new voter, his top priorities are abortion rights and policies supporting entrepreneurs.

“I kind of sit back, like okay, I got a little piece of power in my hand, right?” he said. “No matter how much power it actually is, no matter if it makes a difference or not, because a lot of people believe their vote don't make a difference. It is a tool that I get to use now. And I get to use it intentionally.”

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Tuesday will also be the first time 35-year-old Calvin Boswell is voting. He was incarcerated at 15 years old and was released from prison in March.

He lives in Minneapolis at a halfway house and works at a box packaging plant. He says he’s looking forward to being able to vote.

“I get to take back something that should have never been taken away,” said Boswell. “I did break some laws, but at the end of the day I still got to come out here and participate and be a citizen, you know. So I’m excited about that part. It should be my right, I’m out here in society.”

He plans to go vote in person on Election Day. But he said he still needs to do some research on local races and is undecided on his vote for the presidential election.

“To see Kamala Harris as a woman of color running for president, that’s a beautiful thing. It would be nice just to see that history. I think it’s past due, women are just as capable. I think that’s one of the most exciting parts. But I won’t allow that to be the reason why I vote, but it is important,” he said.

He said his vote will go towards candidates who support abortion rights and address the impacts of racism.

“I think the main thing is just oftentimes people forget that if you don’t experience racism yourself, that it doesn’t exist. It’s the same thing with women’s rights. I don’t necessarily see a woman being affected in her day-to-day life, but I’m not a woman. So to ignore that fact that it exists is troubling to me,” Boswell said.

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Nicole Ki

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Calvin Boswell, 35, and Mario Jackson, 41, both spent more than 10 years in prison. Now they’re looking forward to casting their first-ever vote in a presidential election on Nov. 5.

These 2 people with felony records are voting in their 1st presidential election on Tuesday

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