Houseless Voter Registration drive. Would you please consider?

[pinto]

I have been offering voter registration forms and voting info at local "homeless" shelters, volunteer food programs, etc. here in CA.

Response has been good. Voting information, especially about the legalities and mechanics of voting without a fixed permanent address, is vital in many states.

Some may presume that those without fixed abodes are apolitical. Not necessarily so...

Some may presume that voting is way down on the list of day-to-day goals for the houseless. Pertinent, but not necessarily so...

My approach has been to build on the community network of "rubber tire homeless", people living in cars, and encourage registration and participation in the election. And, duh, car pooling.

I am non partisan in this venue...registration and participation are my message....

thanks, pinto

[oscar111]

1. great! % dems/?

any comments indicate the % dems, etc etc?

How do you get around the state laws about an address? How did lawmakers ever justify "no go if no address" anyway? I see no rationale.

Do those livng in cars park at night in clusters? what type of areas can they do that and not get hassled?

[pinto]

3. comments are overwhelmingly pro dem, including viet vet comments.

people living in cars usually find three day parking areas where they're not hassled, then move on. some live in state campgrounds for the 14 day limit then move to another one....lots use volunteer food programs, free lunch sites to help get by. that's where I go meet them.

[Robbien]

2. Yes, I am also interested in how

you get around the no address thing.

This could work at the soup-kitchen at which I volunteer.

[pinto]

4. check your state law. some shelters allow use of their address for voting.

some states have other possibilities.

remember, a citizen's right to vote is a constitutional requirement.

[Kanary]

5. What a coincidence!

I just spoke with two homeless men on the street, (they stopped me because they were interested in the candidate whose T-shirt I'm wearing!), and they asked for more info (put his bumperstickers on their bikes!), and I told them about regisering to vote at a shelter I'm familiar with. Since the deadline is Monday, they decided they better get right with it, and get registered.

One of the guys is from Texas, and really *hates* bushwa, and said, "I'm from Texas, but please don't hold that against me."

I'm thinking I need to carry some voter registration forms around with me. Wish I'd had two for them.

Kanary :toast:

[pinto]

6. Yay! One small step for democracy.

thanks for the post.



:dem: