Survivors of domestic and sexual violence have unique concerns when it comes to exercising their right to vote. No one should be disenfranchised because of fear. Yet survivors are disenfranchised from participating in the civic process and exercising their right to vote.
One step in building the power of the movement to end violence against women is to research the ways in which survivors can register and vote safely and confidentially in your state, and making sure that they have that information. Another crucial step to building civic power is to educate general voters about the issues survivors of sexual and domestic violence face, and asking candidates where they stand on the issues.
Non-profit organizations can do both of these things legally, and can have a significant impact on empowering both survivors and those voters that consider ending sexual and domestic violence to be a priority in their decisions about their elected leaders.
What about safety concerns for voters who are survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, harassment or stalking?
Because voter registration is a public document, there is the potential than an offender could locate a victim who has registered to vote. Safety options for survivors to keep their information confidential include:
- Address Confidentiality Programs in your state keep a survivors address confidential for voter registration. Please view the ACP programs below to see if your state currently provides this option for survivors.
- Absentee ballots are available in your state IF you are already registered to vote, the public record will reflect the old address where you resided and not the current address of the shelter or new location where you are residing.
- Homeless provisions also provide an opportunity to list a library or post office as your address.
