To many of the inmates at Maine Correctional Center in Windham, the details and debates of the 2008 election seem like they are happening in another world.

But to Michael Gagne, now two years into a four-year sentence, the election provides him a chance to be an average citizen, to care about the things that impact himself and others and to let his opinion be heard.

“It’s important,” said Gagne, 31, of Sanford. “It’s the only voice I’ve got.”

It is a voice that few prisoners in this country have. Maine and Vermont are the only two states to allow inmates the right to vote, and prisoners in Windham said exercising this right makes them feel more like citizens, keeps them connected to their community, and eases their transition back into the world once they are released.

There are 2,200 adults incarcerated in Maine’s seven correctional centers and 600-700 inmates in the jails. Most state correctional center inmates are there for felony charges, while most jail inmates are there for misdemeanors.

Legislation stripping prisoners of the right to vote has surfaced regularly in the Maine Legislature as well, where it is typically voted down by a small margin. In 2003, the Maine House defeated 79-62 a resolution proposing an amendment to revoke the voting rights of prisoners.

Rep. Susan Austin, R-Gray, a co-sponsor of the resolution, said stripping prisoners of the right to vote awards citizens who follow the law and punishes those who step out of bounds.

“People who work diligently, making sound personal choices sometimes don’t receive the credit deserved while those whose behavior is not healthy for themselves, their families and our communities goes unchecked,” she said. “If you break laws and they are serious enough to do jail time, your privilege to help shape and guide public policy through voting should be withheld …”

But Gagne argues that participating in elections allows the prison population to engage in something useful and meaningful. He enjoys educating fellow inmates and trying to help them understand the differences between Democrats and Republicans. He tells other inmates how lucky they are to be able to vote, and how few other prisoners around the country are able to do the same.

According to Norene Dunphy, community programs coordinator at the prison, 50-60 inmates or more voted by absentee ballot this fall, out of a total of more than 600 male and female inmates. Approximately 40 inmates were signed up to vote before Election Day, and that was before a voter registration drive held at the prison Tuesday.

The Maine branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People organized the voter registration drive at the correctional center in Windham. The Maine Civil Liberties Union worked with the NAACP to conduct a voter registration drive at the Maine State Prison earlier this year.

“It’s an important right we want to preserve,” said Zachary Heiden, legal director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union “It’s the foundation of our democracy.”

Francine Bowden, who runs the library at the Correctional Center, said she started posting information about voting about six months before the election, given that the process of voting by absentee ballot can take some time.

Ryan Gauthier, who will be released just after the election following a 10-month sentence, said that besides voting, he didn’t feel like he had much of a voice or an impact on the outside world while in prison.

“Ultimately, you’re just here to do your time,” said Gauthier, 29, of Chelsea.

While some prisoners look at voting as a way to exercise their own, limited rights, others look hard at the issues, and how they will impact themselves and their families.

Robert Graham 24, of Milbridge, who has served 19 months of a 25-month sentence, said when he votes he is looking ahead to his own future outside of prison. Mostly, he is concerned about the economy and the high cost of gas.

Of many issues important to him, Alan Cooper, 26, of Windham, said the war, abortion and the economy are three of the most important. He supports the beverage tax veto and the proposed Oxford County casino.

Gauthier said he would like to hear more about what candidates think about developing resources for the rehabilitation of inmates. On the outside, Gauthier said, he had several therapists and doctors, but in prison he finds those services lacking.

While the inmates can not access the Internet, they are able to get books, magazines and watch TV. The inmates vote using absentee ballots from their last place of residence, and are able to keep up on news and events by subscribing to their local newspapers. Others rely on family members to keep them informed and up to date.

“I’m always talking to my dad back home,” said Graham. “He always lets me know what’s going on.”

Cooper said he educates himself on the issues by reading. Cooper said he is usually working through a novel and a book about politics at the same time, and is currently reading “The Prince,” by NicolA?2 Machiavelli.

Cooper, who has served six months of a nine month sentence, set up a rack of politically themed books in the prison library, where he works five days a week. The material runs the gamut, from biographies on current candidates to political themed books like those by Machiavelli and Mao Zedong.

The wide variety of books and magazines gives the prisoners an advantage over residents outside of prison who are too busy to do research, said Graham.

“You’re not just listening to everything on TV,” he said. “You get a little more about their education and things like that.”

In the end, his voting right is about having a literal vote in the society of which they will someday be a full member, Gagne said.

“I’m going to leave here and I’m going to pay taxes. I’m going to be out in the community,” said Gagne. “I should get my say just like you guys.”