NAACP tries to get inmates to vote

Political pundits have stressed the need for Democrats and Republicans to get their base voters to the polls on Election Day. Both parties also are trying to engage young people in the political process.  Doris Bond of West Chester, a local NAACP leader, has been trying to reach another constituency as well. For the past several months, she has been trying to find out how to conduct a voter registration drive for Chester County Prison inmates. "I can't get an answer because nobody ever asked the question before," she told the county commissioners, who also serve as the Board of Elections, at a meeting last Tuesday.  According to county officials, more than 500 inmates could be eligible to vote in the Nov. 2 election. "We want all people who are eligible to vote to be able to vote," said commissioners' Chairwoman Carol Aichele. "We just have to figure out how." Late last week, Deputy Warden Edward McFadden and Thomas Whiteman, assistant county solicitor, said they are in the process of working out a plan for eligible inmates to register to vote. [more ]