Two states, Vermont and Maine, allow felons to vote even while serving their sentences. This year, voting numbers are up among the inmates:

"There's almost a childlike excitement here," said Kirk Wool, 44, one of the Vermonters in Kentucky, who is serving 29 to 73 years for a sexual assault conviction, and said he "hadn't begun voting until actually after my incarceration."

But now Mr. Wool, inmate No. 263524, says he feels so empowered by voting that "if I had chosen politics instead of crime, call it arrogance, but I believe with my ability to touch people, my ability to speak, I believe I very well could have been governor of the state of Vermont."

Not surprisingly, those inmates who are interested in their Government, are quite well versed on the issues. As the article notes, they have a lot of time on their hands.

Inmates pay attention, reading newspapers, watching television, and even perusing campaign leaflets that are mailed to registered voters like themselves.

One of the prisoners interviewed, who is serving a 35 year sentence for murdering two of his friends, explains why he voted for Bush. Apparently, this is not that unusual. The authors conducted a number of interviews and found more than a few conservatives among the inmates.

Some of the prisoners have the same concerns as those on the outside: