We all know the upcoming election may be the most important of our lives and that democracy is on the line. But we also know American democracy is imperfect and has systematically disenfranchised BIPOC communities — and continues to do so even now. Voter suppression comes in many forms, including polling place closures and onerous voter identification laws.
This election year, we've already seen voter suppression and intimidation in red and swing districts around the country, as well as in blue cities like NYC. Just this weekend, the NYPD confiscated PPE from community activists at a polling site in Red Hook, and a different NYPD officer was suspended after blasting pro-Trump messages over his loudspeaker while on duty in Flatbush.
Two groups especially vulnerable to disenfranchisement are also disproportionately non-white: the homeless and the formerly incarcerated. Many states require government-issued photo identification to vote, and with 26 states requiring proof of physical address to obtain a government-issued ID card, the homeless population faces barriers. And even if they do manage to register, many homeless people face other obstacles, such as the lack of transportation to polling places.
Given such restrictions, it’s little surprise that as few as 1 in 10 homeless people vote, with only 10% of homeless people voting in 2012 compared to the 54% of the general voting age population. There are some protections for these voting rights, though. A 1984 federal court case in New York prevents states from denying the right to vote based on homelessness, and now in all 50 states, homeless folks can register using the address of their shelter or usual place of night stay.
Laws denying the vote to those with felony convictions date back to the Jim Crow South, leading to Black Americans of voting age being more than four times as likely to lose their voting rights than the rest of the voting-age population. Currently Maine and Vermont are the only states where currently incarcerated folks can vote. Meanwhile, most people in local jails (a population estimated to be 48% Black and Latinx) are eligible to vote because they aren’t serving a sentence for felony conviction, but don’t vote because of bureaucracy, not knowing their rights, and restricted internet access hampering registration. The Sentencing Project identifies some practices that have helped individuals in jails exercise their right to vote.
Here are some ways to take action to defend voting rights and the electoral process:
Show up for election defense at the polls on election day through SURJ’s Election Defender program, which offers organizing opportunities to safeguard the process and results.
Pledge to take action with SURJ NYC post-election and stay tuned for an upcoming email from SURJ NYC for more specifics about how our chapter is mobilizing to stop a potential attempted coup and how you can get more involved.
And as always, read on for more ways to show up for racial justice beyond the electoral process!
In solidarity,
SURJ NYC