Democracy doesn’t disappear at the doors of a jail, so neither should the opportunity to vote. But for thousands of individuals who are detained and awaiting trial in Kansas, casting a ballot is much more complicated than it may seem. While those convicted of a felony lose their right to vote, those detained pretrial are often excluded from our elections too, even though their voting rights remain intact.

Imagine this: You’re detained and awaiting trial. You haven’t been convicted of a crime or sentenced. Election Day is next month, and you’re left scrambling to determine your eligibility among the countless other decisions you must make. Once you confirm your eligibility, you must register to vote and request a mail-in ballot, and you no longer have quick internet access to do so. You can’t drive to the polls, and you don’t know how long the jail’s mail system will take to bring you the materials you requested, to return the completed forms, and to receive and return your mail in ballot—let alone how you’ll afford the postage to do all of this.

The problem isn’t whether these eligible voters have the right to vote, but whether they can realistically exercise that right in jail. But in recent months, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has made significant improvements to clarify this process and make voting more accessible.

This summer, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office posted signage in residential facilities including important deadlines, eligibility criteria, and instructions for requesting and returning a mail-in ballot. Additionally, helpful details were added to an election-related pop-up that individuals see each time they access one of the jail’s kiosks or tablets, reminding them of important deadlines, clarifying responsibilities, and noting that postage can be requested or purchased using commissary funds. While only pre-stamped envelopes were previously available, to accommodate the mail-in voting policy that says ballots must be returned in the envelope they’re received in and the jail’s policy that outgoing mail must be sent in a special envelope, the sheriff’s office even began offering stamps. These simple changes mean easier, more consistent access to the information and resources required to vote.

These small actions can and should be replicated by counties across the state. While this is a major victory for Johnson County, fighting for more equitable access to the ballot shouldn’t stop here. Not only should all counties have clear voting from jail policies and practices, but they should consider other ways in which voting from jail can be made easier. Whether that’s offering in-person voting opportunities, providing in-person voter registration drives, or placing ballot drop boxes in jails, there are more convenient ways to exercise the voting rights granted to them in the constitution.