Undaunted Beach inmate plans to cast ballot

James Paul Beckstedt said he hasn't missed an election in 50 years, and he's not going to let being in jail break his voting streak.

He's the only inmate at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center registered to vote via absentee ballot this election, according to a list from the city registrar. There are nearly 1,400 people in the jail.

"I want to vote for my candidates," Beckstedt said. "Some elections come down to one vote."

Beckstedt, a 69-year-old husband, father and grandfather, is incarcerated for two misdemeanor charges of disturbing the peace and brandishing a firearm. He's appealing the conviction.

Voting is an important tradition in his family, Beckstedt said. "I vote in every election."

Some inmates have lost their voting rights because of felony convictions, said Chief Deputy Sheriff Dennis Free. Others simply choose not to request a ballot. The application deadline was Tuesday.

The jail does not offer any electoral services, Free said.

"We don't coordinate it at all," he said. "Why would we do that for inmates when that's something we don't even do for our citizens who haven't broken the law?"

Even with the White House up for grabs, just one inmate requested an absentee ballot last November. He didn't turn it in, according to the registrar's list. This year, there's a contentious race for Beach sheriff. Sheriff Paul Lanteigne did not seek re-election.

The candidates, police Capt. John Bell and state Sen. Ken Stolle, said they haven't sent campaign literature to the jail or otherwise appealed to the inmates for their vote.

"We haven't targeted them," Bell said. "I guess that's an opportunity we could have taken advantage of."

"Since I'm going to be in an adversarial role with the inmates, I don't feel that it's in their interest or my interest to ask them for a vote," Stolle said.

But the outcome of Tuesday's election could have a direct impact on the jail's residents. The sheriff runs the correctional center.

If Bell's elected, he said he'll work to provide more education and job-training opportunities for inmates. He also supports increasing the number of nonviolent offenders released on electronic home monitoring or work programs.

If Stolle wins, he said he will coordinate with the jail ministry to increase participation in drug rehabilitation and mental health programs. He opposes expanding early-release programs.

Beckstedt was a Marine, police officer, sheriff deputy and correctional officer before he retired. He said the new sheriff will need to address jail overcrowding, fighting between inmates and food quality. He'd also like to receive the newspaper on time, he added.

Beckstedt said he almost always votes a straight Democratic ticket but broke with tradition this year by supporting Stolle, a Republican.

"He's honorable to his word," he said. "He get things done. He's a doer and he has a tremendous record in the General Assembly."

Bell, a Democrat and a 33-year veteran of the Police Department, has trailed Stolle in fundraising and endorsements. But he's racked up several new endorsements recently, including the Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance and the Virginia Beach Police Supervisors' Association.

Beckstedt said he knows his vote might not make a difference, but he wants to have his say anyway.

Politicians "promise everything and never do it," he said. But "I don't miss an election."

Kathy Adams, (757) 222-5155, kathy.adams@pilotonline.com