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It’s hard to vote in California when you’re homeless. Why it matters when their voices are silenced
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It’s hard to vote in California when you’re homeless. Why it matters when their voices are silenced

Ciara Lambright has many concerns: staying safe while living on the streets of San Francisco, trying to stop people from stealing her things, and packing her small bed in cardboard before it is taken away by the police.

The idea of ​​voting in this election is just too overwhelming.

“It’s just not at the top of my list right now,” Lambright, 33, said.

Homelessness is arguably the biggest problem facing California today, it a major concern of voters and it’s on the ballot, directly or indirectly, in almost every city.

But too often, what homeless Californians themselves have to say about the problem goes unheard.

Indeed, even if eligible voters can still When they vote, if they are homeless, they face a mountain of obstacles, according to election officials, service providers and potential voters who live on the streets.

California’s homeless population has soared to nearly 186,000 people this year, this means that part of the electorate will potentially not participate in democracy in these elections. Experts say it’s concerning because many contests – statewide rent control And criminal justice reform proposals, races for local mayor and more – could directly affect unhoused residents.

“Their lives are the central topic of political conversations, and it’s a conversation they’re often left out of,” said Niki Jones, executive director of the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness.

Efforts are underway, both by counties and local nonprofits, to boost voting among unhoused communities. But these attempts are far from universal. Of 15 unhoused residents surveyed this month by CalMatters in three cities, only three had planned to vote and knew how to do so in this election.

Tyneeka Bland, a 42-year-old woman from Modesto who moved to Sacramento earlier this year, said she lived on the streets for two months and stayed in a shelter for another six months before finally found accommodation in Natomas last month. This prompted her to register to vote with her new address. She mailed in her ballot last Thursday, she said.

But Bland said she missed the March primary while still unhoused because she didn’t know she could vote even without a permanent address.

“I didn’t have an address, so how am I going to vote? How am I going to have a voice if I’m… not on the map somewhere? » asked Bland.

Californians without a fixed address where ballots can be mailed can register to vote using the address of a shelter, or the cross street of the park, street or sidewalk where they are spending the night. They can use a PO box or business address to receive mail, but not to register.

Voters who are unable to obtain an absentee ballot must go to the polling station in person. This can be difficult for reasons such as lack of transportation, fear that their belongings will be stolen if they leave their campsite, limited access to voting information, and many other pressing needs faced by people without accommodation.

Only about 10 percent of homeless Americans vote each year. according to a 2012 report by the National Coalition for the Homeless.

“When you don’t know where your next meal is coming from and you have to think about where you’re going to sleep tonight, it’s very difficult to remember that it’s also voting day,” Jones said .

It is also more difficult to stay informed about elections when you live on the streets. Sheltered Californians are bombarded with political ads on television, hear reporters discussing ballot measures on the radio and see campaign mail flooding their mailboxes. Homeless Californians without television, constant access to the Internet or radio, and without a mailing address are often left in the dark.

The news that Oakland’s mayor is facing a recall election This year, Ashby Dancy, 63, was unable to spend time with two friends at a small tent encampment in East Oakland on a recent afternoon.

Ajda Latimer, who lives in an RV in West Oakland with her two dogs, Damien and Angel, thought she was barred from voting because she didn’t have an address. When a reporter told her she could vote anyway, she said she would try to vote.

“It matters to me,” she said.

Some unhoused Californians CalMatters spoke with incorrectly believed their prior felony convictions prevented them from voting. People with a crime conviction can vote in California, provided they are not currently serving a sentence for that offense.

Others are discouraged by a political system that they say never seems to take into consideration people living on the streets. Donald Trump or Kamala Harris for president? That doesn’t really matter to Linda Vazquez, 52, who sleeps outside in San Francisco.

“None of them are doing anything that would work for us,” she said.

Melanie Mercado, who said she has lived on the streets in Sacramento for more than a decade, told CalMatters she has only voted once in her life — for Barack Obama. But, Mercado said, she has no trust in the government, in part because she lost custody of her daughter in a court battle, in which she saw a system “conspiring against” her .

“I don’t think voting helps decide your own fate,” Mercado said. “How many environmental leaders do you need?” »

A woman has her hand raised and is wearing a rainbow-colored knitted hat. She is wearing a black jacket with a white zipper.

Melanie Mercado speaks about her experiences being homeless and voting in Sacramento, October 25, 2024.

(

Fred Greaves

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CalMatters

)

In Sacramento, the Regional Coalition to End Homelessness is partnering with Sacramento State University to encourage more unhoused people to vote. With a $7,500 grant from the Robert Nelson Foundation, they hosted voter registration ice cream parties at homeless shelters, transitional housing sites and outside the county jail. county.

About 150 people had shown up to their events as of mid-October, and 30 of them had registered to vote, Jones said. Those who are already registered receive information about the contents of the ballot and where to vote. Outreach workers help people make a plan for voting, such as choosing a “voting buddy” who can help remind them to vote and hold them accountable for voting.

“People really care about the politics that affect their lives,” Jones said.

Sacramento County is also trying to bridge the gap by holding voter registration drives at local homeless shelters and affordable housing developments. In addition to registering people to vote (they got 14 new registrants during an event in mid-October), county staff distribute flyers with information on where to vote and tell people how access the county’s online voter information guide, county spokesman Ken said. Casparis.

Sometimes people have to re-register, because if their ballot is mailed to their old address and returned as undeliverable, their voting status changes to “inactive,” Casparis said.

“It’s a process,” he said, “but we’re doing our best to get out there and do as much outreach to this community as possible.”

There are just over 600 homeless registered voters in Sacramento County, Casparis said. But the county doesn’t know how many of them end up voting.

A person leans into a voting machine and votes.

Voters cast their ballots at a polling place in Modoc Hall on the Sacramento State campus on March 5, 2024.

(

Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

/

CalMatters

)

There are more than 6,600 homeless people living in Sacramento County, according to the latest countdown at a specific time. That means about 9 percent of all unhoused residents in Sacramento are registered to vote. Among the general population, almost 79% of eligible residents were registered since last year, according to the secretary of state’s office.

Not all counties track these numbers. San Diego County, for example, has no way of knowing how many of its homeless residents are registering to vote or casting ballots, according to Registrar of Voters spokeswoman Antonia Hutzell.

Alliance San Diego, a community organization, distributes voter guides to local homeless shelters to increase voter turnout, said executive director Andrea Guerrero. The organization also reaches unhoused people through Facebook, email and text messages.

But for someone like Nanie Crossman, 39, who lives in an RV parked on the street in West Oakland, voting isn’t as simple as simply finding your polling place and then driving there.

First, she should find a place to shower and a change of clean clothes. Otherwise, his presence could draw nasty looks from other voters, Crossman said.

Will she end up voting on Election Day? It depends on his mood, Crossman said.

“Plans are difficult to keep here,” she said. “If you make plans, something will happen. »