The voter ID law could prevent 210,000 transgender people from voting this November
“Voter ID laws can create a unique barrier to voting for a substantial number of transgender people, which is particularly impactful in elections decided by fewer votes,” said Jody L. Herman, the report’s co-author and a senior public policy scholar at the Williams Institute.
“Voter ID laws can create a unique barrier to voting for a substantial number of transgender people, which is particularly impactful in elections decided by a small number of votes,” said Jody L. Herman, the report’s co-author and a senior public policy scholar at the Williams Institute.
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Upwards of 210,000 transgender adults who are eligible to vote could face significant barriers due to a lack of proper identification, comprising nearly a fourth of the total trans population who are eligible to vote. Trans people are affected by strict voter identification laws.
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Such laws require voters to provide their ID in person before being allowed to vote, creating a huge barrier for trans people if their ID’s gender marker doesn’t match their presentation. While some states provide provisional ballots for voters with ID issues, states with the strictest voter ID laws could disenfranchise 91,300 trans people by preventing them voting this year.
These concerns are especially exacerbated for trans people of color, low income trans people, and disabled trans folks who face institutional barriers or discriminatory laws making it difficult or impossible to update their IDs.
Thirty-six states have requirements for voters to show ID at the polls. Nine states – Arkansas, Georgia Indiana Kansas Mississippi North Carolina Ohio Tennessee and Wisconsin – require voters to show their ID to vote. Some voters may be required to provide a photo identification in order for their vote to count. Over 170,000 trans people live in the states that have the strictest voting laws. This is nearly a fifth (or more) of the trans adults eligible to vote this election. Over 270,000 lack identity documents that match their gender identity, and many live in states that have restricted their ability to change them.
Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Georgia are potential swing states that could determine the election’s outcome, and they each have restrictive voter ID laws. These laws affect over 135,000 trans citizens. While trans people can vote, they are increasingly worried that something will go wrong. A survey by Advocates for Trans Equality found that 82% of trans people of voting age were eligible to cast their vote, as opposed to 73% of Americans of general voting age. The Williams Institute report uses data from the National Conference of State Legislatures on voter ID laws and incorporates state population estimates from 2022 American Community Survey. The report also includes data on the number of transgender people from the National Center for Transgender Equality’s 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey. This data was used by the institute to determine how many trans people are eligible to vote within a state. The institute used voting procedures from different states to determine the eligibility of people to vote in those states.
