US Voter ID Laws Could Stop Trans People From Voting

There’s a lot riding on the upcoming November midterms. But Voter ID laws across the nation could seriously impair trans people from voting.

Research from The Williams Institute found that out of 878,300 eligible trans voters in the US, nearly a quarter could be blocked from voting because their ID doesn't match their gender identity.

If a trans person arrives at a polling place with a government-issued ID containing an incorrect gender or name, they may be turned away by poll workers who think they’re trying to “impersonate” another individual, according to LGBTQ Nation.

Changing an ID isn’t always easy, and “transgender people of color, young adults, people with low incomes, and people with disabilities are more likely to not have accurate IDs for voting,” the Williams Institute wrote. The process of updating documents can take lots of time and money, and require access to medical care that many trans people cannot.

According to the Movement Advancement Project, ten states require documentation from a medical provider in order to change a trans person’s gender marker; eight states require proof of surgery, court order, or an amended birth certificate; and ten states have “burdensome” or “unclear” policies on changing such gender markers.

Around 414,000 eligible trans voters live in the 31 states that predominantly have in-person voting and require voter ID. Nearly half of trans voters in those states don’t have an ID that accurately reflects their gender or name. Additionally, 64,800 eligible trans voters live in states that have very strict voter ID laws.

Republicans are introducing anti-trans legislation across the country so the exclusion of trans voters is particularly concerning.

Republicans have introduced voter ID laws as a way to stop voter fraud, a problem that most say does not really exist. Both the American Civil Liberties Union and The Brennan Center for Justice have called voter ID laws a form of “voter suppression” that mostly disenfranchises Democratic voters.

Read related myGwork articles here:

Joe Biden Promises To Change Transphobic US Laws If Elected President

Tennessee Group Creates App to Get LGBT+ Voters to the Polls

“Vote Like Your Life Depends On It”: Pete Buttigieg’s Message To LGBT+ Youth Voters

Enrolment of trans voters surges in India

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