By Laura Ellsworth, Council for the Homeless
People experiencing homelessness can vote, too.
Even in a vote-by-mail state. Even without a permanent address.
“People just need a landmark near where they stay”, according to Kate Budd of the Council for the Homeless.
“An address of a shelter, a library they frequent, or even an address that is an intersection near where they spend a lot of time,” Budd said. “For example, someone could use 8th and Columbia as their intersection if this is near where they stay at night.
Guided by Clark County’s Homeless Action Plan, the Homeless Crisis Response system is committed to connecting people with lived experience with homelessness with advocacy and voting rights.
This year, for the first time thanks to our State Legislature, people can register to vote in person at the Clark County Elections office located at 1408 Franklin Street, Vancouver right through Election Day, November 5, 2019. They are open 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, and 7 am to 8 pm on Election Day.
If you’re registering in person, you don’t need a state ID, or home address to get a voter’s ballot. Without a state ID, the County will ask for the last four digits of their Social Security number to run against the federal database.
And if they don’t have the last four digits of their social security number handy, they can provide their date of birth and attest that they are a U.S. citizen, a Washington resident, and that they are eligible to vote under penalty of perjury.
According to the Clark County elections website, to register to vote in Washington, you must be:
- A citizen of the United States;
- A legal resident of Washington state;
- At least 18 years old by Election Day;
- Not disqualified from voting due to a court order.
- Not under Department of Corrections supervision for a Washington felony conviction.
- People with past felony convictions, but who are not currently under supervision are allowed to vote.
It is important that we all weigh in on the policy and people who can impact our daily lives. Please vote by Tuesday, November 5th . Housed or unhoused, every vote matters.