‘Their vote is their voice’: Twin Cities shelters bring voting access to residents

As the midterm election draws near, Twin Cities shelters are working to increase voting access for unhoused residents. Housing providers say that people experiencing homelessness face increased barriers when it comes to exercising their right to vote. Unhoused residents often think that they are ineligible to vote because they don’t have a government ID and a permanent address, or because they have a criminal record. Some residents have also lost faith in the government systems that have failed them and feel like their vote doesn’t matter. “A lot of our people going through homelessness believe that the systems are against them. They truly believe that,” said Kourtney Thomas, who has previously experienced homelessness and now serves as a volunteer member of the Catholic Charities Twin Cities Lived Experience Advisory Board and has been helping with voter outreach. “A lot of stuff is going on in America and it’s important that we get people in our shelters to vote,” she said.