Get Out the Vote in Maine's Prisons

All incarcerated residents of Maine have the right to vote, but few actually do so. Ameelio has launched a voter registration campaign to provide all 1,709 of them with the necessary forms and instructions to successfully register to vote and vote by mail. 

COVID-19 has made it more difficult than ever to Get Out the Vote in America's jails and prisons. Organizations that would typically help incarcerated people register to vote and submit their ballots are facing significant barriers, as correctional administrators have suspended visitation indefinitely. 

That's where Ameelio comes in. Ameelio is a technology nonprofit dedicated to facilitating free communication between incarcerated people and their loved ones. We’ve enabled thousands of users to send tens of thousands of free letters and pictures a month through our free web and mobile applications. Our experience in mass mailing to America's prisons and jails makes us well-equipped to provide necessary voter information to enfranchised people living in Maine's prisons. 

We developed a tool called Letters for Organizations to enable organizations that work with the incarcerated to send targeted mass mailing, dispatch legal mail, and manage their networks of pen pals and mentors. Prominent organizations including the Marshall Project, Pen America, and the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project are now using the tool to connect with incarcerated populations across the country. Using this tool, we are able to send voting registration packets to every incarcerated person in Maine with ease.




Timeline of Voting Project

1.  Voter Registration Packet - September 11, 2020 

       • Ameelio Intro Letter
       • Blank voter Registration Card
       • Voter Registration Oath/Affirmation
       • Ballot Request Form
       • Instructions and Samples Forms

2.  Ballot Request/Voting Reminder - September 28, 2020

Our initial mailing cost us $7,469. We are raising a total of $10,000 to cover this and our ballot request/voting reminder, to be sent September 28.




A look at Ameelio's Letters Organization platform: 

Contacts upload


Contacts preview

Content upload 

Printing and Mailing Options



Ameelio 
IG: teamameelio 
Twitter: teamameelio