On October 23, 2024, an article focused on the barriers encountered by unhoused individuals regarding voter turnout was published under the Politics and StudentNation sections. According to this report, people experiencing homelessness often exhibit low voter turnout, a situation attributed to restrictive registration laws, political disaffection, and prevalent misconceptions about their voting eligibility.
The Pine Street Inn, renowned as New England’s primary homeless services organization, co-hosted a voter registration initiative aimed at encouraging voting among unhoused individuals. This effort was complemented by the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen in New Haven, Connecticut, which integrated voter registration details into its intake process at the resource center. Steve Werlin, the executive director, highlighted that many unhoused individuals were unaware of their voting rights despite lacking a permanent address, with misconceptions surrounding eligibility being a significant barrier.
Research on voter turnout among those experiencing homelessness is sparse. However, a study analyzing the 2012 elections disclosed that only about 10 percent of eligible unhoused voters participated, compared to 54 percent of the general voting-age population. Donald Whitehead, the executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, identifies misinformation as a principal barrier, noting that some unhoused individuals believe they are ineligible to vote due to lacking a fixed address, often misled by sources aiming to suppress their votes.
In response, the National Coalition for the Homeless launched the “You Don’t Need a Home To Vote” campaign to counter this misinformation. Despite variations in state laws, unhoused individuals are typically able to register using shelters, churches, parks, or street intersections as residence points.
The electoral system’s reliance on fixed residential addresses presents challenges as key voting information is distributed through mail, making it difficult for unhoused people to receive election mail. Obstacles also arise from the loss or theft of ID cards during encampment sweeps, complicating adherence to voter ID laws.
In 2025, Georgia is set to implement SB 189, which mandates that voters without a permanent address register at county registrar offices, thus jeopardizing registration for many currently using nonresidential addresses. Andrew Garber from the Brennan Center emphasizes enhancing voting access for all, including unhoused individuals, through methods like early voting and no-excuse absentee voting.
Donald Whitehead has been actively visiting shelters in pivotal swing states as part of the campaign, suggesting that mobilizing this demographic could influence election outcomes with narrow margins. Although Vice President Kamala Harris has proposed housing plans focusing on potential homeowners, the existing policy fails to address immediate protections for those living unsheltered.
The systemic neglect of unhoused individuals in political campaigns, noted by public policy professor Dora Kingsley Vertenten, may contribute to low voter turnout. Werlin, reflecting on this sentiment, suggests that a sense of disenfranchisement impairs voter turnout, as neither presidential candidate has prioritized homelessness within their platform.
Resident Mykala Grace from New Haven expresses skepticism regarding voting, believing that neither presidential candidate addresses their concerns. Meanwhile, Whitehead underscores the need for increased political recognition of homelessness in the electoral discourse.
