By Dana Rosenwasser
November 5, 2018
Voting is a right for all Americans, and we are committed to ensuring residents of our shelters know their options, and to supporting them whether or not they choose to vote. For survivors like *Ruby and countless others like her, not having a permanent address is not a barrier to exercising their right to vote.
*Ruby, a resident at one of our eight domestic violence shelters, is preparing to vote for the first time. “I’ve been motivated to vote mostly because of social media, my Facebook account gave reminders that October 12th was the last day to register to vote,” Ruby explains. “I’m working on career goals and as a young lady I realized that if I want to see change I have to do my part and voting is just one way to do that.” People who live in shelters often face barriers to voting. At Safe Horizon we support survivors in every capacity, including exercising their right to vote.
How Voting While Living in Shelter Works
One barrier survivors may face when living in shelter is that they often live in a different borough, or they may have safety concerns traveling back to the district where they previously voted. Thankfully, there are policies in New York State that help survivors in domestic violence shelters overcome these challenges and vote safely.
An address does not have to hold anyone back from registering to vote. According to Coalition for the Homeless, people without a permanent address are able to vote. Nonprofit VOTE, a nonprofit organization that provides nonpartisan resources, states that people who live in temporary housing can list a shelter address as their voting address or anywhere they can receive mail. Voter registration forms provide a space for this purpose.
On Election Day, survivors arriving at any polling site can ask for an affidavit or paper ballot. After Election Day, the Board of Elections will check its records, and the survivors’ vote will be counted if they are eligible to vote. If not, they will receive a notice that they are not eligible, along with a registration application for future elections.
Pilar Lumpkin, a Supervising Social Worker at the shelter where Ruby lives, has been encouraging Ruby as well as other shelter residents to vote. “I remind them that they have a voice,” she explains. “If they want to see change they have to be involved. They are the generation that will make the difference for future generations.”
* Client names and identifying information have been changed to protect their privacy. Images used are representations of Safe Horizon’s clients.