Six new voters registered to cast their ballot in the November election on Saturday, Sept. 21 — between eating what may have been their first hot meal in days and continuing to search for housing in Newark, Ohio.
That morning, the Newark Homeless Outreach welcomed another collaborator to their Saturday breakfast event: The League of Women Voters of Licking County. Typically, on Saturday mornings, Newark Homeless Outreach hands out food and medical supplies to unhoused individuals, those living paycheck to paycheck or any other individuals that need it.
Mary Tuominen, the president of the League of Women Voters of Licking County, was clad in a bright orange shirt with the words, “I Want to Help You Register To Vote” and stood at the end of the food line, helping residents sign up to vote.
“Your vote is your voice and every citizen has the right to vote and every citizen should have the opportunity to vote,” Tuominen said.
Newark Homeless Outreach brought in the league specifically to help unhoused individuals learn what their options are when voting.
“I think it’s important that everybody understands that their vote matters. Of course people that are living on the streets and living day to day, trying to get by, they don’t think about these types of things, voting and being able to voice their opinion and that their voice does count,” said Trish Perry, one of the founders of Newark Homeless Outreach.
Perry wants to emphasize that those without a permanent address can vote. For their address, they are able to list the address of The Main Place, a mental health recovery service, or the address of a drop-in shelter. And individuals can request an absentee or mail-in ballot to be sent to one of these places.
“We want to make sure everybody understands that they have alternatives to just that set and stone, go to that precinct, especially if you are unsheltered,” Perry said.
Tuominen asked each person present if they wanted to register. A few said they already were, so she gave them instructions on how to vote. The first individual who approached the table was, according to Tuominen, eager and prepared. In response to Tuominen’s question, she said she wasn’t registered to vote, but she wanted to be. Tuominen helped her fill out her registration form, and the new voter walked away with a promise of a voter card in the mail soon, at the address she listed. She was one of the six new voters signed up that day.
“That’s why we are here, to give information. Some people, for example, think they can’t vote so we give them the information they need,” Tuominen said.
The two things needed to vote are an address and a form of identification. If the voter does not have a permanent address, they can list a drop-in shelter or an address where they can receive mail.
The form of identification, however, is necessary for an individual to be able to vote. According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s website, for in-person voting, valid identification includes a driver’s license, a state ID, US passport or card, Interim ID, Military or Ohio National Guard ID or a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID. For absentee voting, however, valid identification includes a copy of the previously listed forms of identification, last four digits of your social security number or your driver’s license number, according to VoteRiders.org.
The last day to register to vote in Ohio is Oct. 7, and early voting begins the next day.
Tuominen said she always encourages early voting or use of an absentee ballot.
“You never know what will happen on election day,” Tuominen said.
Anyone who will be 18 by the date of the election is eligible to register, even if they are 17 years of age currently.
The League of Women Voters prioritizes access to voter registration information, according to Nestor Matthews, member of League of Women Voters of Licking County and the Newark Homeless Outreach.
“It’s a real opportunity to have your voice heard,” Matthews said. “Not everybody in the world gets to have their voice heard. We have mechanisms in place where people can express their views through their vote and maybe not everyone is aware of how to vote and how to register.”
As Perry expressed, the unsheltered population in Newark needs the opportunity to vote to secure better representation for themselves and fellow Newark citizens.
“You gotta get people in the right place that want to make change, not for the good of themselves or for money but for the good of the people,” Perry said while loading lunch meat and cheese on hot dog buns. The makeshift sandwiches serve the last few attendees.
Perry refers to the Newark City Council’s proposed ordinance that would prohibit camping or sleeping on public property when speaking about the need for individuals to register to vote. The ordinance was voted into full council recently and will be read in full on Oct. 7.
Some of the individuals that the League signed up on Saturday are directly impacted by this ordinance.
“The city council is voted in, so we need to vote them out,” Perry said. “Even though it may not be city council this time that’s on the ballot, we are voting for president, we are voting for county commissioner. Those are all positions that still affect us in the long run.”
Tuominen said that she was pleased with the six new registered voters. In addition, she was able to verify the registration of a few other attendees and tell them where and when to cast their vote.
Tuominen said some were not interested in registering.
“I want everyone to vote because that is our voice in democracy. I’m kind of surprised when people don’t want to, but that’s people’s choice,” Tuominen said.
Ella Diehl writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.