Homeless vote in United States

A homeless encampment in San Jose, California

The number of homeless people in U.S., age 18 and above, is around half a million (541,484) at any given point in 2023 according to the Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR). ^[1] The National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that, at each election, around 10% of the homeless exercise the right to vote. ^[2]

Barriers to homeless vote

There are barriers for the homeless to register to vote. They may lack a place of residence, a mailing address or a form of identification. ^[3] Having a place to live is not a prerequisite to vote. As argued in 1984 case Pitts v. Black, people are eligible to vote even if they do not live in traditional accommodations. ^[4] The cost of transport to the ballot station is also an obstacle for the homeless to vote as well as the feeling of being politically disenfranchised. ^[5]

For registration purpose homeless can use the mailing address of shelters or churches or post offices. Each state has its own voter registration requirements. ^[6]

Point-In-Time Estimates of Homelessness in U.S.

Year	Elections	Est. number of homeless	Est. age 18 and above
2012 [7]	Presidential	633,782	N/a
2014 [8]	Midterm	578,424	439,602
2016 [9]	Presidential	549,928	429,109
2018 [10]	Midterm	552,830	441,238
2020 [11]	Presidential	580,466	474,102
2022 [12]	Midterm	582,462	484,218

References

1. "The 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report". U.S. HUD.
2. "Why We Should Care About the Homeless Vote". National Coalition for the Homeless. 10 August 2012.
3. "The Potential Voters Everyone Forgets". Newsweek. 11 May 2024.
4. "Pitts v. Black, 608 F. Supp. 696". Justia.
5. "Homeless disenfranchisement in the United States". Street Sense Media.
6. "State Voter Registration Regulations_2024". National Coalition for the Homeless.
7. "The 2012 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report" (PDF). U.S. HUD.
8. "The 2014 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report" (PDF). U.S. HUD.
9. "The 2016 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report" (PDF). U.S. HUD.
10. "The 2018 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report" (PDF). U.S. HUD.
11. "The 2020 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report" (PDF). U.S. HUD.
12. "The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report" (PDF). U.S. HUD.