After battling drug addiction and homelessness for more than 40 years, Barry Dupree clearly remembers milestones in his recovery. That's what I voted for in the 2020 election.
“It made me feel like a human being and I felt like I was part of the world,” said Dupree, 64. He sobered up and found shelter at Gateway Center in Fulton County. “I felt like my words were heard. I felt like my suggestions about who I wanted were listened to.”
There are thousands of voters like Mr. Dupree in Georgia and across the country who are experiencing homelessness but are able to vote with proper identification. They receive election-related mail at shelters, relatives' addresses, temporary locations, and post office boxes, and the majority vote in person.
A one-sentence provision in Georgia's new election bill could complicate voting for some of the state's homeless population. The bill, which has passed both chambers of the state Legislature and is awaiting signature from Gov. Brian Kemp, would require election-related mail (registration cards, sample ballots, etc.) to be sent to people who are “homeless and without a permanent address.” It requires all documents (papers, absentee ballots, etc.) to be sent. It will be sent to the county registrar's office.
The overall impact of the change is unknown. The bill would require homeless voters to go to their county registrar's office to make sure their registration is up to date, learn about polling place changes or requests, and receive an absentee ballot. Voters with permanent resident status will receive this information at home.
If your registration did not require any changes or additional documentation, you can still vote in person. It's unclear whether the change applies to people in domestic abuse shelters or other temporary housing.
Voting rights groups and homeless activists say the additional trips to government offices can be a burden for many homeless voters. It would create unnecessary long travel times, burden an already chronically poor population, and potentially cause confusion among voters who are less likely to vote and have even less access to news and information.
“It's incredibly difficult for many people who are homeless because of transportation, location, etc.,” said Donald H. Whitehead Jr., executive director of the nonprofit National Coalition for the Homeless. Deaf,” he said. . “Many shelters are in rural areas with limited transportation, so if someone needs to get to this particular location, that's a huge problem.”
The bill's Republican sponsor, state Sen. Max Burns, did not respond to a request for comment. Garrison Douglas, a spokesman for Republican Kemp, said officials are still considering the bill.
It's difficult to know how many homeless people typically vote in Georgia. Fair Fight, a voting rights group founded by former Democratic state Rep. Stacey Abrams, estimates that about 7,500 people in the state's five largest counties have registered to vote at homeless shelters. More than 1,500 of them voted in recent elections, the group said.
Georgia's 2020 presidential election was decided by fewer than 12,000 votes.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that 582,500 people will be experiencing homelessness in 2022. His 2012 study by the National Coalition for the Homeless found that about 10 percent of registered voters who are homeless voted in that election. For comparison, 71 percent of adults 65 and older voted in the 2012 election, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Aside from provisions regarding homelessness, the new law primarily focuses on election administration. This requires new voting technology and makes it easier for voters to challenge another voter's eligibility. Activists have criticized the bill as unnecessary and rooted in Democrats' debunked theories of widespread voter fraud.
“This is part of Georgia's time-honoured tradition of blocking votes by any means necessary to maintain power,” said Dr. Carol Anderson, director of Fair Fight Action. said.
Raphael Holloway, chief executive of Gateway Center, said the organization also engages citizens as part of its case management and care, “whether through volunteering or through citizen participation by becoming a registered voter.” He said he is encouraging it. He said there are about 500 voters registered at the shelter address.
William Dupree, a 70-year-old military veteran, is one of them. He became homeless in August after he, his wife and his grandchildren bought out their old apartment at a high price. Dupree has sought to maintain his involvement during his tenure at Gateway, including participating in virtual town halls hosted by members of Congress from the Gateway dormitory.
The new bill could make public participation more difficult, he said.
“It will happen, it will happen,” he said. “They're trying to change everything, so every election there's a rule change. And the bigger the election, the bigger the impact of a lot of the changes.”
