Dear Readers,
Since the release of NLIHC’s last election edition of Tenant Talk, “Housing Is Built with Ballots,” significant events in the U.S. – such as the unjust Supreme Court ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson – have made publications like Tenant Talk more important than ever. Low-income tenants have faced numerous challenges, including the increased criminalization of homelessness, rising housing costs, and funding cuts to federal housing programs. Yet even when reasons for hope seem scarce, we must use our voices to speak out – and there is no better time than the upcoming November 2024 elections.
Census data from the November 2022 elections reveal that low-income people register and vote at lower rates than those in higher income brackets. While 82% of people with household incomes above $100,000 were registered to vote and 67% voted in the 2022 midterms, only 57% of people with incomes below $20,000 were registered, and a mere 33% actually voted. This pattern persists due to longstanding barriers, such as difficulties taking time off from work to vote, obtaining legal identification, and accessing transportation to polling places. In addition, racial and other forms of discrimination, as well as increased exposure to misinformation about voting, further hinder voter participation. People experiencing homelessness, returning citizens, and survivors of disasters face especially tough barriers to voting. These challenges are exacerbated by efforts in some states to suppress the votes of low-income tenants, who are disproportionately people of color, young people, senior citizens, and people with disabilities.
This all raises a question that’s more urgent than ever: How can we ensure that policymakers prioritize the needs of low-income renters? And we have an answer: higher voter turnout among low-income households is essential for convincing policymakers to address the needs of the lowest-income tenants. But achieving the goal of higher turnout is challenging, and we cannot do it alone – we must act collectively!
NLIHC’s nonpartisan Our Homes, Our Votes campaign is part of that collective action. The campaign’s mission is to empower low-income renters to vote by providing low-income people and organizations serving low-income people with the resources to register, educate, and mobilize voters. Housing is often overlooked in elections, but with the help of tenants like yourself, we can build the political will to bring affordable housing to the forefront of elections at all levels – federal, state, and local.
With the help of this publication, the Our Homes, Our Votes campaign, and your collective action, we can create a stronger country where everyone, including low-income renters, participates in the democratic process. It’s important that we all vote, because when we vote, we make choices that shape the lives of our families, community members, and others across the country. We hope this issue of Tenant Talk will provide you with the tools and resources you need to get involved in the 2024 election season. Let’s get out the vote!
In Solidarity,
Editorial Board