The Our Homes, Our Votes campaign, a nonpartisan initiative to increase voter turnout among low-income renters and elevate housing as a key election issue, hosted the third installment of its 2026 webinar series on Monday, April 13. The webinar, “Protecting Voting Rights: Strengthening Democracy Through Local Housing Advocacy,” examined the growing threats to voter access and the critical role housing advocates play in protecting and expanding democratic participation.
The webinar opened with remarks from NLIHC Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Campaigns, Chantelle Wilkinson, who grounded the conversation in the current federal and legal landscape shaping voter access. Wilkinson provided key updates on the proposed SAVE Act, recent executive actions impacting mail-in voting, and the ongoing Supreme Court case Louisiana v. Callais. She emphasized that these developments could significantly restrict access to the ballot, particularly for low-income renters and historically marginalized communities, and underscored the urgency for advocates to remain informed and prepared to respond.
Building on this context, Dr. Bambie Hayes-Brown, President and CEO of Georgia Advancing Communities Together (Georgia ACT) and NLIHC Board Chair, shared how her organization is actively integrating housing advocacy with civic engagement on the ground. Dr. Hayes-Brown highlighted Georgia ACT’s work to build tenant power through year-round organizing, emphasizing that civic engagement must be embedded into housing work to be effective. She discussed how engaging tenants as leaders, not just participants, creates stronger, more resilient communities and ensures that those most impacted by housing instability are shaping policy outcomes.
Raisa Rubin-Stankiewicz, Policy Associate at the New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness, focused on strategies to engage people experiencing homelessness in the democratic process. She outlined the unique barriers faced by unhoused individuals, including lack of documentation, misinformation, and logistical challenges, and shared how her organization works through shelter networks, outreach providers, and advisory boards composed of individuals with lived experience. Her remarks underscored the importance of meeting people where they are and designing voter engagement efforts that are accessible, trauma-informed, and rooted in trust.
Throughout the discussion, speakers reinforced that housing instability and voter suppression are deeply interconnected, with those facing housing insecurity often experiencing the greatest barriers to civic participation. As highlighted in the webinar announcement, the session aimed to provide participants with a foundational understanding of how housing advocacy intersects with democracy and why this work is essential to ensuring equitable participation.
The webinar concluded with reflections from Tia Turner, NLIHC Project Manager for Our Homes, Our Votes, who reinforced the importance of continued engagement and previewed.
The Our Homes, Our Votes webinar series continues to equip advocates, tenant leaders, and service providers with the tools and knowledge needed to protect voting rights and strengthen democracy, ensuring that renters are not only housed but represented.
The recording of the webinar can be found here, and the presentation slides can be found here.
The following resources were shared during the webinar:
- Executive order
- ACLU EO Petition
- Take Action: SAVE Act
- Louisiana v. Callais
- Turbovote
- Resource Hub
- Webinar Hub to register
- Affiliate sign-up link
- Best Practice report
The next Our Homes, Our Votes webinar, “Understanding Louisiana v. Callais: What the Supreme Court Decision Means for Housing & Democracy”. This event provides a legal breakdown of the decision and implications for nonpartisan voter engagement. The webinar will take place on Monday, May 11, at 3:00 pm ET.
Register for the webinar series here.