Blocked at the Ballot: How Homelessness Creates Barriers to Civic Participation

In 2020, on any given night in RI, 1,104+ persons experienced homelessness. Studies show that as few as 1 in 10 people experiencing homelessness vote in elections. What are the barriers to voting and civic engagement for people experiencing homelessness in our state? What would be possible for our community if more unhoused Rhode Islanders were able to exercise their right to vote and felt empowered to do so? What are the consequences of our inaction as a community to making that a reality?

Please join the RI Coalition for the Homeless in a two-part virtual program, Blocked at the Ballot: How Homelessness Creates Barriers to Civic Participation, a conversation about the barriers to voting and civic engagement for Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness.

On Thursday, April 28 from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM join us for Voting & Homelessness, a special Voices of Homelessness Podcast. Led by Voices of Homelessness Speakers Bureau members Wendy Thomas and Diamond Madsen, this important conversation centers the voices of those with lived experience to educate the wider community about how housing status affects our ability to be full and equal participants in our democracy, and to help the community understand #WhyItMatters that we strengthen voting rights and ballot access for our neighbors experiencing homelessness. State lawmakers House Whip Katherine Kazarian, Senator Alana DiMario, and Senator Tiara Mack will join and share how elected officials can help address these barriers.

Join us on the Facebook event page, the virtual program will stream live on YouTube and the full recording will be made available after the event for those unable to join live.

Continue the conversation on Monday, May 3 at 4:30 pm with the Youth Action Board for a virtual workshop on Youth Homelessness: Civic Engagement & Voting. Youth will lead this conversation which centers their own experiences and explores questions about access to civic education and the barriers to voting and other means of engagement for youth experiencing homelessness.

Facebook event page: https://fb.me/e/2zUaIvT3q

YouTube livestream link: https://youtu.be/ZaImp79kZCw

These events are meant to be a starting point for reflection, questions, and conversations about how the broader community can become more active allies in eliminating barriers and building a more equitable and inclusive democracy for all Rhode Islanders, regardless of housing status.

The Blocked at the Ballot program is supported by the XIX: Shall Not Be Denied: Why It Matters initiative from the RI Council for Humanities and is part of the nationwide “Why it Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation” initiative administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Learn more at www.shallnotbedenied.org/