People experiencing homelessness feel the impact of our housing policies most acutely. They understand what it will take to end and prevent homelessness. Too often, however, people experiencing homelessness face barriers to casting their ballots and making their voices heard in the democratic process.
Many individuals experiencing homelessness and service providers do not realize that people without a permanent address have the right to vote. Research on voting rates among people experiencing homelessness is limited, but the best available estimates suggest that only 10% of unhoused people vote in a typical federal election. Restrictive voter ID laws, felony disenfranchisement, voter purges, and other voter suppression tactics disproportionately affect people experiencing homelessness. Because of structural racism in the housing market, Black Americans, Native Americans, and other people of color are more likely to experience homelessness, and therefore more likely to face these challenges.
Fortunately, people experiencing homelessness can access information that will guide them through the process of registering and casting their ballots. The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness maintains a voter checklist for people experiencing homelessness. Nonpartisan organizations like the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) and National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) also provide guidance and resources.
Advocates and service providers can empower unhoused people to participate in the democratic process. First, find information about the process of registering and casting a ballot without a permanent residential address in your state. NCH maintains a state-by-state database of requirements for voting without an address, which you can access at: nationalhomeless.org/voting. Contacting your state or local election office is also a good way to find this information. Then, determine how you can best encourage voter registration and participation in the communities you serve and which nonpartisan election activities to prioritize.
NCH’s “You Don’t Need a Home to Vote” campaign and NAEH’s “Every One Votes” campaign provide nonpartisan resources for advocates, shelters, and other service providers to register unhoused voters and get out the vote. The “You Don’t Need a Home to Vote” Voting Rights Manual addresses FAQs about voting while experiencing homelessness and permissible nonpartisan activities, outlines steps for planning a voter registration drive and conducting voter outreach, and describes ways to incorporate voter registration into the intake process. The “Every One Votes” toolkit includes step-by-step guidance for getting unhoused citizens registered and mobilized to vote and pulls out best practices for service providers. For example, the toolkit recommends that providers establish procedures for collecting mail on behalf of clients, which can satisfy the mailing address requirement for voter registration, and waive curfew or waiting-in-line practices on Election Day so people do not need to choose between casting their ballots and having a place to stay. Providers should also contact their local election office to ask about hosting a polling place or ballot drop box at their site.
To ensure that people experiencing homelessness are represented in our democracy, advocates and service providers must look beyond turning out voters on Election Day and strive to create a culture of civic empowerment. As a starting place, this means that people experiencing homelessness should have consistent access to information about democratic participation and year-round voter registration opportunities. Integrating voter registration into the intake process is one way to achieve this goal. Unhoused people should also have opportunities to connect with their elected officials, advocate for policy change, and testify in public meetings.
From the ballot box to the halls of Congress, people experiencing homelessness deserve a say in the policies that affect their lives. Our policies are stronger when they are shaped by directly impacted communities and elected leaders who represent their interests.