It was a Sunday in late October 2024 when Jesus Rodriguez, then 29, voted for the first time.
He voted in person for the presidential and state races, but his polling place wasn’t at a church, school or community center – it was inside the Jefferson county jail in Colorado.
“It will be one of my top five experiences being able to vote,” Rodriguez said in a video the Jefferson county sheriff’s office shared on social media. “I guess one vote means everything, so I would say that it made me feel good to know that my opinion matters.”
The Jefferson county sheriff’s office said about 125 inmates voted in person on the same day as Rodriguez and that the temporary polling place was the result of a state mandate to expand voting access while in confinement.