For our democracy to function, we the people must be able to make our voices heard, and the most important voices belong to those of us directly affected by the decisions of that democracy. With so much legislature directly related to the homeless crisis, we must ask: can democracy still hear you if you don’t have a home?
There are a multitude of obstacles facing the homeless every day. Of course, on any given days, the most urgent of these obstacles are almost always their day-to-day needs. With questions such as “Where will I get my next meal?” and “Where will I sleep?” weighing on the minds of the homeless every day, it is incredibly difficult to even consider voting. Unfortunately, although those day-to-day decisions are one of the most pressing obstacles to voting, they are hardly the last.
For starters, ten states require voters to provide government Identification such as driver's licenses each election they vote in. When living on the street, IDs are incredibly easy to lose, making this requirement a massive challenge for homeless voters. Additionally, there are 24 states within which IDs are “requested” but not required, with requirements for those who fail to bring IDs varying by state. Since many homeless people move from state to state often, this non-standardized patchwork system of requirements is incredibly hard to keep track of.
Yet another challenge is providing a mailing address. Fortunately, no states require a home address to vote, so voters can list homeless shelters or even street corners. Of course, homeless individuals are often forced to relocate, making it difficult to receive election-related mail.
Image source: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/11/voting-can-be-hard-if-youre-homeless-its-nearly-impossible/
It is crucial that we work to alleviate these barriers as much as possible, fortunately, there are lots of ways you can help. The National Coalition for the Homeless has a great page filled with useful resources, including a link to a Voter Registration toolkit with advice on how you can help increase voter turnout among the homeless, resources explaining voting laws by state, links to sites explaining major political candidates’ stances on the housing crisis, and much more.
By Henry McDowell
There are a multitude of obstacles facing the homeless every day. Of course, on any given days, the most urgent of these obstacles are almost always their day-to-day needs. With questions such as “Where will I get my next meal?” and “Where will I sleep?” weighing on the minds of the homeless every day, it is incredibly difficult to even consider voting. Unfortunately, although those day-to-day decisions are one of the most pressing obstacles to voting, they are hardly the last.
For starters, ten states require voters to provide government Identification such as driver's licenses each election they vote in. When living on the street, IDs are incredibly easy to lose, making this requirement a massive challenge for homeless voters. Additionally, there are 24 states within which IDs are “requested” but not required, with requirements for those who fail to bring IDs varying by state. Since many homeless people move from state to state often, this non-standardized patchwork system of requirements is incredibly hard to keep track of.
Yet another challenge is providing a mailing address. Fortunately, no states require a home address to vote, so voters can list homeless shelters or even street corners. Of course, homeless individuals are often forced to relocate, making it difficult to receive election-related mail.
Image source: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/11/voting-can-be-hard-if-youre-homeless-its-nearly-impossible/
It is crucial that we work to alleviate these barriers as much as possible, fortunately, there are lots of ways you can help. The National Coalition for the Homeless has a great page filled with useful resources, including a link to a Voter Registration toolkit with advice on how you can help increase voter turnout among the homeless, resources explaining voting laws by state, links to sites explaining major political candidates’ stances on the housing crisis, and much more.
Check out the National Coalition for the Homeless's page on Voting here!: https://nationalhomeless.org/campaigns/voting/
By Henry McDowell
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