Voter Registration
Homeless Voter Registration and Education: Every Voter Counts!
You do not need a home to vote! Eligibility to register:
- Be a U.S. Citizen
- Be 18 or older on Election day
- Have lived in WA for 30 days before the election
- Not currently under total confinement by DOC for a Washington state felony conviction
- This means that as of 2022, people with felony convictions can vote even if they are currently under DOC community supervision.
- Beginning 2022, people will have their right to vote immediately restored once they exit prison. Visit the Washington Voting Justice Coalition FAQ page or the WA Secretary of State website for more information.
Click here to learn how you can register to vote in Washington.
Do you want to volunteer with us to spread the word on voting rights and registration? Sign up here!
Homeless Service & Housing Provider Voter Registration Drive Toolkit
Want to incorporate voter registration work into the services you offer? We’ve compiled some resources to help you get started:
- Order print voter registration forms or print forms in multiple language on the Secretary of State website.
- Keeping Nonpartisan During Voter Registration Drives: a helpful guide for nonprofits about how to stay nonpartisan while supporting your clients’ civic engagement efforts
- Annotated 2021 Voter Registration Form: an annotated voter registration form with notes about what is required and how to fill it out.
- Flyers & Handouts For Clients
- FAQ- You Don’t Need a Home to be a Voter
- You Don’t Need a Home To Vote Poster. A 8.5 x 11 poster with information for clients without homes.
- Homeless Voter’s Guide: A printable paper guide for homeless or unstably housed voters.
- New Voter Tips: A guide for new voters to make sure their vote is informed and secure.
- How Should I Vote?: A list of objective and nonpartisan voter research tools.
- 4 Takeaways for Potential Voters: Reminders that vulnerable community members can vote and helpful tools to do so.
King County Elections
919 SW Grady Way, Renton, WA 98057
206-296-VOTE (8683)
A list of vote centers and ballot drop boxes will be available 30 days prior to each election:
- Read common phrases we hear when helping people experiencing homelessness register to vote, along with responses and resources you can use to educate eligible voters on their rights and empower them to exercise their right to vote.
- Review our 2022 Voter Registration Training. This covers a historical context for voting rights and trauma, dates/deadlines for the 2022 Primary and General Elections, who is eligible to vote next year, and information on how to navigate a voter registration form for people who do not have a traditional residential or mailing address.
If you would like to help people who are homeless or unstably housed or have felony convictions register to vote, we’d love to hear from you. Contact vote[at]homelessinfo[dot]org to get involved.
The Coalition works to make sure that every eligible voter can register, vote, and participate fully in the democratic process, regardless of where someone sleeps at night or whether they have a way to receive mail. In Washington State, almost all voting is now done by mail. This poses a serious obstacle for many folks who may not have a stable residential or mailing address where they can register and receive a ballot and election guide. We develop a comprehensive and unique Homeless Voters’ Guide for use by our members and trained volunteers who help people register and vote. We include crucial information about the 2009 state law that automatically restores voting rights for people with felony convictions who have completed their prison sentences and are no longer under community supervision by the State Department of Corrections (DOC).
Our non-partisan Homeless Voter Registration and Education Drive is a rewarding volunteer opportunity. We provide volunteer orientation, and schedule 2-3 hour shifts in the community at locations where people who are homeless go for services. Volunteers can help out during day and evening hours, seven days a week. Volunteers are needed to help people register and vote during our drives leading the November General Election.
