Ohio Judge: Voters Can List Park Bench as Address

by Shannon Moriarty · 2008-10-28 21:06:00 UTC
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Homeless people in Ohio cannot be denied the right to vote because the park bench, grate, or sidewalk they sleep on does not have an address, a federal judge ruled yesterday. As a result, thousands of homeless people across the state will not have to worry about receiving unequal treatment at the polls because of their "homeless" status.

The ruling in a case filed by the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless instructs the Secretary of State not to reject provisional ballots that do not have a building listed as a permanent address, thus protecting homeless voters from becoming disenfranchised at the polls. Thanks to this ruling, their votes will rightfully be counted in next week's election.

This decision comes just in time to avoid a potential disaster of "hanging chad" proportions if the presidential race is close in Ohio (which pollsters are predicting is likely). The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless described on their blog just how haphazard the state's provisional ballot standards were:

If the election is close in Ohio, we are in big trouble. Some counties are disqualifying large numbers of potential voters, and others are using a liberal definition of verifying that the voter is a legitimate voter. While there are rules, they are not being enforced, and it is the wild wild west out in the field. Every board is doing whatever they want, and if the election comes down to provisional ballots we better wake up Justice Thomas and Stevens for another December late night decision on the presidential election. I hope that we can settle this lawsuit as we did in 2006 before the election or we have to hope that all the Ohio races are blowouts.

This isn't the first time a judge has had to step in to protect homeless people's right to vote. The National Coalition for the Homeless has compiled a summary of similar rulings in various states.

I hope this decision encourages homeless people in Ohio to head out to the polls en masse on Tuesday. We all have a stake in this election, but particularly these struggling individuals without a place to call home.

Six days and counting. We're got our eye on you, Ohio (and North Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, Florida, and Missouri)!

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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