Dear Readers,
Since the release of NLIHC’s last election edition of Tenant Talk, “Housing is Built with Ballots (https://tr.ee/mhNTnC),” significant events in the U.S. have made resources like Tenant Talk more important than ever. Low-income tenants have traditionally had lower voter turnout than homeowners, highlighting an inequity that exists amongst social classes that impacts one’s ability to own a home, evade homelessness, and deal with rising costs of housing. Tenants can use the November 2026 midterm elections as a time to use our voices and speak out.
National Low Income Housing Coalition’s (NLIHC) nonpartisan Our Homes, Our Votes campaign (https://www.ourhomes-ourvotes.org/) has led important collective action needed to get the renter vote out. 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. As the voting rights of low-income people have become increasingly under threat, the campaign has also taken a defensive stance in ensuring bills like the SAVE Act (https://tr.ee/hT3BWI), which require every American to provide documentary proof of citizenship each time they register to vote or update their registration, do not pass.
This publication will provide an educational overview of the current federal voter-rights landscape, challenges low-income voters face, and how communities are countering attacks on voting rights. NLIHC’s policy and research teams will also provide updates on the recently passed “21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (https://tr.ee/V2fV6n),” proposed federal agency rules, NLIHC’s 2025 National Renter Survey (https://nlihc.org/ national-renter-survey), and NLIHC’s recently published, Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing (https://nlihc.org/oor).
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. We hope that this issue of Tenant Talk will provide the tools and resources necessary to get involved in the upcoming midterm election season. Let’s get out the vote!
In solidarity,
The Editorial Board
Zella Knight, Loraine Brown, Geraldine Collins, and Mindy Woods