Puerto Rico inmates cast early ballots in Democratic primary

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – More than 7,000 prisoners across Puerto Rico are expected to cast early ballots for this weekend’s Democratic primary in the U.S. territory.

Prisoners lined up Friday to vote for presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and local candidates running for mayor and the island’s Senate and House of Representatives.

Puerto Rico’s Democratic Party is holding its primary Sunday but allows early voting. Under the island’s election rules, inmates who want to participate must vote early.

Thousands of inmates cast ballots in the Republican primary held in March.

Prisoners in the U.S. territory have been allowed to vote since the 1980s. They make up a tiny share of the overall vote in Puerto Rico, which has nearly 2.9 million registered voters and a high turnout averaging nearly 80 per cent.