ID Laws Could Disenfranchise Transgender Voters

What’s the story?

• Strict voter ID laws could create “substantial barriers” for transgender individuals whose identifications don't match their preferred gender.
• A recent report from the Williams Institute – a think tank at UCLA School of Law – found that “strict photo ID laws may create substantial barriers to voting and possible disenfranchisement for over 78,000 transgender people in eight states.”
• “Transgender people who have transitioned often face substantial challenges to obtaining accurate identification,” lead author Jody L. Herman, a public policy scholar at the Williams Institute, told NBC News.

“Requirements for updating the name and gender on official IDs that could be used for voting vary widely by state and federal agency, and the process can be difficult and expensive.”

What did the study find?

• In the November midterms, around 137,000 transgendered people who have transitioned will be eligible to cast their ballot in eight strict photo id states: Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
• “Across these eight states,” the authors write, “57 percent of the transgender voting-eligible population may have no identification or records that accurately reflect their gender.”
• Compounding this concern: 46 percent of transgender voting-age citizens who have transitioned have no documents or records that accurately reflect their new gender—“meaning their IDs have an incorrect gender marker, an incorrect name, or both.”

What do you think?

Herman, the author of the study, said “lawmakers, election officials and government agencies must work to ensure that transgender people have equal access to vote.” Do you agree? Hit take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

(Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com / Niyazz)