The New York City Council on Oct. 22 passed two bills that would expand ballot access for people held in the city’s jails, legislation from Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams and Criminal Justice Committee Chair Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers. Intro 786-A passed 42 to 7 and Intro 797-A passed 48 to 1, according to the Council’s legislative record, and both await Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s signature.

The two measures are Intro 797-A, sponsored by Williams, and Intro 786-A, sponsored by Brooks-Powers. Intro 797-A would require the Department of Correction to report each year on voter registration and voting activity in city jails, including the number of completed registration forms, the number of absentee ballots distributed to incarcerated individuals, and the number of events held to promote voting, along with demographic information on people returning registration forms. Intro 786-A would require the department to check ballot affirmation envelopes for curable defects, including whether they are signed and dated by the voter and by anyone who assisted the voter, to notify the voter of any defect, and to provide the opportunity and the means to correct it before the ballot is sent to the Board of Elections.

There are close to 7,000 people detained on Rikers Island, most of them held pre-trial or serving time for misdemeanors and therefore eligible to vote, according to the Office of the Public Advocate. Only a fraction of the incarcerated population successfully casts a ballot, the office said. Because there are no polling sites at Rikers, detained voters must rely on the absentee ballot process, which is the responsibility of the Board of Elections and the Department of Correction.