Voter information class held for those awaiting trial

St. Joseph County Clerk Lindsay Oswald said undersheriff Mark Lillywhite recently hosted a voter-registration information class for jail inmates awaiting trial.

Staged in conjunction with Oswald, the class resulted in 10 percent of the jail population registering to vote and several others were able to verify their registration.

Oswald said the purpose was to inform people of their constitutional rights and help them exercise their right to vote. She explained that inmates serving a sentence are not eligible to vote but those who are incarcerated while awaiting trial are allowed to vote.

Eligible inmates were able to complete voter-registration forms and request an absentee-voter ballot.