Lost Home? Lost Vote?

A significant number of foreclosure victims are ending up homeless, according to a new joint report by the National Coalition for the Homeless and others--and that means their right to vote may be at serious risk. As more and more Americans are displaced by the mortgage crisis, we must ensure they don't lose their political voices in addition to their homes. A system of automatic and permanent voter registration with appropriate fail-safe provisions is one solution that is gaining bipartisan support.

Under our current voter registration system, an individual is usually required to re-register to vote after an address change. Homeless voters often have an especially hard time registering and staying registered because of their mobility and non-traditional residences. What is your address, if, as documented by the New York Times, you are temporarily living out of your car or with friends?

In the report, eighty-six percent of social service agencies surveyed said that staying with family and friends was among the top three living situations common among foreclosure victims. Sixty-one percent of agencies cited an emergency shelter and 26 percent listed a hotel or motel. Homeless people, including those living on the street, have the right to register and vote in all states. If an individual does not have a home address, she can list a street corner, a shelter, or any other location where she stays at night. Most states also require a mailing address in order to register to vote. In these states, homeless individuals can list anywhere that is willing to accept mail for them, including a shelter or, in some states, the county courthouse or clerk's office.

A modernized voter registration system would help ensure even the most mobile Americans stay registered. In such a system, government agencies would be responsible for transmitting data from their client databases to election officials for purposes of creating and updating voter rolls. As a fail-safe measure, any eligible voter would be able to correct her voter registration record or add herself to the rolls on Election Day.

Public assistance agencies--those offices that provide benefits such as SNAP (formerly Food Stamps), cash assistance, and Medicaid--are among those that would be required to automatically register their clients. While definitional problems complicate an exact count, one study suggests almost half of homeless adults receive some form of public assistance benefits. Agencies would presumably be able to provide election officials with the most updated addresses for these individuals, whether the home of a family member or a shelter. Those eligible homeless citizens not receiving public assistance benefits would be able to register and cast a ballot on Election Day.

Low-income citizens are already both more likely to move and less likely to register or turn out to vote than their more affluent peers. Displacement as a result of foreclosure has the potential to lead to further under representation of low-income Americans, a result we surely cannot afford. While a modernized voter registration system will not solve the economic crisis, it will at least ensure its victims can retain their political voice.