The polling place was ready for Election Day. Voting booths were set up. Ballots were ready to be filled out. But I wondered how many people would show up.

It was Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, at Nash Correctional Institution in Nashville, North Carolina, and we were holding a mock election. A communications officer for the state prison system, who covered the event, told me that it was likely the first-ever mock election at a North Carolina prison.

Twenty minutes after the polls opened, the other poll workers and I struggled to keep up with the voters coursing through the gym door. We kept adding more voting areas just to keep up. My team checked voters’ ID cards, marking their names on the registration list. Then, volunteers led them to tables functioning as voting booths, while explaining the process. 

“Good morning,” I said, welcoming the next voter, a gray-bearded Army veteran with a limp. “Please, follow me to a table where you can fill out the ballot and survey. The ballot is on the front and the survey is on the back.” 

I pointed to the other end of the gym.

“When you finish, you can turn in the ballot to the man standing beside that ballot box and get in line for your popcorn,” I told him.

I had had the popcorn idea three months earlier when my prison newspaper, The Nash News, discussed holding a mock election at our prison. 

At our weekly newsroom meeting, graphic designer Cris Gardner proposed the idea. “What do you think about holding a mock election?” he said, his eyes scanning the 10 of us in attendance.  

I responded first: “I love the idea, but can we actually do it?” Too often in prison, good ideas vanish into nothingness because of the inherent bureaucratic obstacles. 

Gardner later admitted to me, “I was afraid the [prison] staff wouldn’t be as enthusiastic as me. However, I was blown away by how supportive and excited they were.” 

He continued, “Everyone pitched in suggestions and really helped shape what it became. The mock election idea stirred everyone.”

Phillip Smith, our editor then, suggested partnering with the prison’s two service clubs: Men’s Club and Military Service Club. He asked: “How do we make sure people come to vote?” 

I knew what to do. “Popcorn!” Working as a dog trainer taught me the power of rewards to influence behavior. The service clubs own a popcorn popper used for events, such as the annual talent show. 

The group decided to include four political races: U.S. president, North Carolina governor, North Carolina lieutenant governor and North Carolina attorney general. Basic information on each candidate was collected from a nonpartisan site and provided to potential voters through the tablet’s facility messaging app. 

Gardner spearheaded organizing the mock election. He pitched the idea to leaders of the service clubs, who were as excited as us. He wrote a proposal and delivered it to prison administrators. They eagerly agreed. 

He asked his boss in the Correction Enterprise Print Plant for permission to design and print fliers announcing the event and hundreds of ballots. She thought it was a terrific idea and approved the work and materials. 

A few people came just for the popcorn, attempting to skip the voting. They described the mock election as “pointless,” and asked: “What’s the point when our votes don’t count?”

U.S. Navy veteran Troy Simmons, 64, felt differently. 

“I thought [the mock election] was big-time cool,” Simmons said. “It gave me the feeling I was doing my civic duty.” 

Simmons had voted in every election for which he was eligible before coming to prison 24 years ago. 

Most men moved through the process with excitement and seriousness. Some voters brought paperwork showing their preparation. Their prep sheet contained analysis of the candidates.

My turnout concerns ultimately proved unnecessary. More than half of the 800 Nash residents voted in the mock election, with 487 ballots cast. Another 50 people would have voted if not for some miscommunication on a couple of the prison units. 

Results were announced on Nov. 5 to connect participants to national Election Day events. In the presidential race, Nash voters decided differently than America and the majority of our state’s voters. Kamala Harris defeated Donald Trump, 234-219, a 48% to 45% margin. Another 31 voted undecided/no preference. 

In the state races, Nash voters matched the outcomes. The Democrats swept with a wide margin of victory. 

For governor, Josh Stein defeated Republican Mark Robinson, 272-152, with 61 voters undecided/no preference. 

For lieutenant governor, Rachel Hunt beat Republican Hal Weatherman, 223-155, with 106 undecided/no preference. 

And for attorney general, Jeff Jackson outdid Republican Dan Bishop and Independent candidate Sharon Bray, 216-134-38, respectively, with 97 undecided/no preference. 

The mock election did not decide any races, but I think everyone who participated won. The event encouraged Nash residents to develop an understanding of the political process and made some people feel “civic pride,” Simmons said.

“It gave us an appreciation of voting and an understanding of the importance of the privilege we have lost at this time and place,” he said. 

After turning in their ballot, each voter received a bag of popcorn and an “I Voted” sticker. I saw guys wearing stickers the next few days. Maybe one day their vote will count.