Historically, many community members experiencing homelessness, and many of those living in low-income housing do not vote.  This is in part because of systemic barriers, and in part because they are not encouraged to participate.

The Housing Alliance is working to turn the tide.  Over the summer, we recruited, trained, and mobilized volunteers through a voter registration door-knocking campaign.  We visited affordable housing communities in Tacoma, Lynnwood and Everett to provide information to community members about their voting rights, and to register anyone who was eligible and ready to exercise their civic right to vote.

As the coordinator of our volunteer efforts, I was fortunate to witness the impact of this work. 

Like Michael. A Housing Alliance volunteer and I met Michael in Tacoma, where he was facing hardships because of our struggling economy.  Michael was living with a friend temporarily while working to get back on his feet.  When we told Michael we were there to register people to vote, he said he wasn’t eligible, and that was nearly the end of the conversation.

An old felony conviction, he said, stripped him off his right to vote.  We jumped at the opportunity, and explained that in 2009, the right to vote and register to vote for people convicted of felonies was automatically restored once they have completed their time in incarceration and served any required community custody supervised by the Department of Corrections.

Needless to say, Michael was surprised, but encouraged.  And yet, he had one more barrier to overcome.  Michael shared that he would need help filling out the form, to have someone do the writing for him.  We completed his registration together, and gave him information about common barriers to voting, with resources to learn more.  By then Michael was ready to sign a pledge to vote card, joining hundreds of other advocates who have made the pledge to vote in support of affordable housing and services to prevent and end homelessness.

Michael was one of the more than 230 affordable housing residents that Housing Alliance volunteers and staff met right at their front doors over the over the summer. 

As we evaluate our efforts, the benefits of this work are clear. This year, non-profits in Washington State registered more than 50,000 people to vote.  The Housing Alliance was able to get information to many people who, like Michael, believed that they couldn’t vote.  We had the chance to meet new volunteers and reconnect with longtime advocates who took the time to come carry a clipboard door-to-door with us.  We worked with committed staff at the Housing Alliance member organizations that invited us to help register their residents to vote.  In two cases, those member organizations have already taken it to the next level – providing voter registration forms in their lease signing packets, and for another, including voter registration in their client case management.  Success? Yes.

Now we’re looking forward to the next steps in engaging people in voting and in advocacy, including:

• holding ballot parties at a few buildings with lots of new voters
• capturing some of the amazing stories we’ve heard at people’s doorsteps and in their living rooms,
• inviting and supporting these new housing voters to attend Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day in Olympia in February.

If you are a first time voter in the state of Washington, there is still time to register to vote.  Click here to find out where and how you can register.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities with the Housing Alliance, including voter registration, contact Alouise Urness, Community and Member Organizer, (206) 442-9455 x 203, alouise@wliha.org

To learn more about what your non-profit organization can do to register people to vote, contact Sakara Remmu, Outreach and Mobilization Manager 206-442-9455 x 200 sakara@wliha.org

Sincerely,
Alouise Urness