LGBTQIA+ And Voting Rights

You know all the things that make voting hard? Well all of those things impact the LGBTQIA+ community disproportionately. Housing insecurity, difficulty getting proper ID, systemic racism, higher rates of incarceration — all these things hit home. That’s why we need to speak out.

LET’S BREAK IT DOWN

One in ten voters identify as LGBTQIA+, and one in four young voters. Access to voting is limited by the shared experiences of many people in this community. If you care about LGBTQIA+ rights, the most powerful actions you can take are to vote and make sure all people have fair access to use their voice.

Voter registration: Housing insecurity affects many LGBTQIA+ voters’ ability to register to vote because they do not have a permanent address. 40% of LGBTQIA+ youth have experienced homelessness.
Economic barriers: 21.6% of LGBTQ+ people are living in poverty – a number that is much higher based on race – with 30.8% of Black and 37.3% Latino LGBTQIA+ living in poverty. Challenges to voting while experiencing poverty include time off from work to vote, access to transportation and childcare.
Voter ID: Obtaining qualifying identification to vote is a challenge for many people – especially when dealing with restrictive ID requirements for updating legal name and gender marker that create barriers for transgender and non-binary voters who want to vote.
Incarceration: LGBTQIA+ people are three times more likely to spend time in jail, where they may not be able to vote despite often having the right to vote.

Make some noise for change to break down these barriers. Contact your reps today!

To learn more about LGBTQIA+ voting rights, check out a few great resources:

BEYOND THE BALLOT:

RACISM, DISCRIMINATION AND VOTING RIGHTS

Voter ID laws “target African Americans with almost surgical precision.” That’s not us saying so — those words come from a Federal court. We all know election laws have targeted or disproportionately impacted non-white voters for more than two centuries.

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND VOTING RIGHTS

If you or anyone you care about has been convicted of a felony, you probably know that voting rights are one of the many freedoms that can be lost. But state laws about this are changing fast. That’s why it’s so important that elected officials hear from all of us.

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JOBS, THE ECONOMY AND VOTING RIGHTS

For some, taking time off to vote can come at too high a cost—no one should have to risk their job to vote. Did you know that voting access is directly tied to a better economy—including better jobs and working conditions?

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SAVE THE VOTE

In almost every state in America, some elected officials are trying to make it harder for you to vote. If you don’t like having your right to vote messed with, you can do something about it right now. Let’s Save The Vote!

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