BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Voting is a signature privilege for people who turn 18 or become U.S. citizens. This right can be taken away if you are incarcerated, but that does not mean it is lost forever.

Voting rights for incarcerated people differ from state to state. In Maine, imprisoned people can still vote while incarcerated, but if you are convicted in Iowa, you may lose that right forever.

Here in North Dakota, you get that right back after your release.

Bruce Vollmer always believed that voting was his civic duty.

“When I turned 18, I couldn’t wait,” said former inmate Bruce Vollmer.

However, Vollmer had a 20-year hiatus from voting because he was incarcerated.

“I followed the laws when I was in the federal system and realized that unless you are barred from voting at sentencing, you still have your rights,” Vollmer said.

Vollmer said many people with criminal records don’t know they retain that right. Davontae is one of them.

” No not at all. I thought part of my life was over,” said former inmate Davontae.

He will fill out a ballot for the first time this Election Day.

“I think I had just turned 18 when I went to prison,” Davontae said.

Davontae said he was surprised when he found out he was still eligible to vote. He took his time researching all the candidates and said his experience in prison changed his perspective on his decisions.

“But it was definitely a feeling of power.” Like, I was given at least some kind of voice in return,” Davontae said.

Voting laws for incarcerated people differ from state to state. North Dakota’s secretary of state said people with records retaining their rights is a long-standing law.

“So if you make a mistake when you’re 19 and now you’re 50, participating in the North Dakota labor force, having a job, paying taxes, that gives someone an opportunity for elected leaders to decide their future, their policies to implement for the next two years,” said Secretary of State Michael Howe.

Both Davontae and Vollmer said it’s important for everyone to have a voice, and they believe that no matter what happened in your past, you should be able to have a say in your future. They said they could do it by going to the polls.

“Because our voice matters. We are also people. We’re not just people they locked away for a while and wish it would last forever. They get by and have a life. They rebuild, we get back up, we are citizens who walk, who drive. We’re part of the community,” Vollmer said.

The North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reports that more than 1,300 people were released from state-run facilities last year.

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