What 8,000 Prisoners Think About American Politics

Aseemingly simple question at a Bernie Sanders town hall last spring set off a debate new to prime time: Should prisoners be allowed to vote? Sanders said yes—his home state of Vermont as well as Maine are the only states to give all prisoners that right. Later, Joe Biden said no.

Yet in a country awash in political polling, the views of those who are most affected remained a mystery: the 2.3 million people behind bars. Do they want to vote? If given the right, who would they vote for?...