We won’t get into why strict voter-ID laws are horrible, oppressive and racist — you can do you own homework there.
But the fact remains that ten states currently have laws on the books that make it increasingly difficult to exercise your constitutional right to vote, and a new study indicates that among the disenfranchised in the upcoming midterm elections are 24,000 transgender people.
According to “The Potential Impact of Voter Identification Laws on Transgender Voters in the 2014 General Election,” authored by the Williams Institute’s Jody L. Herman, Ph.D., transgender people who have transitioned but do not have proper paperwork reflecting their gender will be turned away at the polls.
“Lawmakers should not overlook the consequences of enacting stricter voter ID laws on transgender voters,” said Herman. “Election officials must consider the potential impact of these laws in the upcoming November elections. Voter ID laws create a unique barrier for transgender people who would otherwise be eligible to vote.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
The states where people will face problems are: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
“Some voters may not have the means or the ability to present the required voter identification for a variety of reasons, such as poverty, disability, or religious objection. Transgender people have unique barriers to obtaining accurate IDs needed to vote. As these ten states begin planning for their fall elections, educating poll workers is crucial in order to ensure that transgender voters in their states have fair access to the ballot,” added Herman.
View the full report here.
hex0
I don’t see the big palaver about this, lots of countries require some photo ID (I use postal vote in the UK so don’t), are you going to accuse all the countries requiring photo id of being oppressive? and if your picture doesn’t match how is it their fault?
jean
The US State Department could help here by issuing passports that match the person’s gender identity. That ID will trump anything the state won’t issue. I dare any state to refuse to recognize a US passport!
bry5n
just popping in to say voter id is now law in wisc., and will be in effect for our elections in november. last i heard, it had been appealed & could be taken up by the scotus because this change may be too close to elections.
TKG
@hex0: @hex0: @hex0: I don’t think the issue is that voting in some states requires photo ID per se; but rather that some states require it, but then don’t have ways for people to get ID. For example, for trans people, our photo may match, but the gender won’t have been changed because the government requires certain surgeries first, so you’d be turned away. Or the fact that many places won’t update your photo until after it expires, so if your ID is valid for let’s say 5 years, and you started hormones just before your photo was taken, you won’t match your photo by the end of it.
Further, low income and rural areas are less likely to have ID offices, and in the case of rural areas less likely to have transit out of town, so it can be difficult to go get ID. Also, there are fees for getting most ID cards (it may be for all ID cards, probably depends on the state), and in some cases certain government IDs aren’t valid (for example, in Ontario, Canada, whether photo ID health cards can be used as ID for situations other than health services seems to depend on who you’re talking to).
TKG
@TKG: And sorry about putting your name three times, hex0, I apparently have no idea how to use the reply function properly -_-