Trans Americans face more barriers to voting

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This story was reported jointly with Unclosed MediaA non-partisan, investigative, LGBTQ-focused news publication.

Lori Moss, a transgender woman from Milwaukee, is fed up with the “nightmarish” bureaucratic process trans people must go through to make sure they can vote. “It’s just like a never-ending pile of pain,” he told Uncloseted Media/Votebeat.

After six months of filling out new paperwork, getting the judge’s approval, and publishing his new name in a newspaper ad, Moss learned: Wisconsin law, The gender marker on her ID still cannot be changed until she provides proof that she has had vaginoplasty surgery. It’s an expensive, painful, and time-consuming task that some trans people don’t even want. Her new ID arrived in the mail this week, listing her name but labeling her gender as “M.”

recently to work It found that transgender and gender diverse people faced more problems trying to vote than cisgender people. According to another study conducted by the Williams Institute, More than 800,000 transgender adults are eligible to vote in the 2024 election. But about a quarter of those people do not have ID that matches both their correct name and gender and live in states with voter ID laws. This could make it harder for them to vote.

Wisconsin is one of these states. There, the law requirements All voters must be “reasonably similar” to their photo ID; This is a hurdle for all voters, including transgender people who undergo physical transition, whose appearance changes significantly after receiving their ID.

“This could leave it in the hands of the poll worker to decide whether someone is eligible,” Rachel Orey, director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Election Project and who identifies as transgender, told Uncloseted Media/Votebeat. . “We know this is not something poll workers are typically trained in. “We’ll be lucky if they get any sensitivity training.”

Moss’s concerns and those of others in her situation have grown louder this election season, as Republicans spent more than $65 million on anti-trans ads. over $19 million only with the Trump campaign. Almost 70% of transgender voters They identify as Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents, and many feel their lives are at risk in this election, increasing the pressure they feel to vote in the upcoming election.

Confronting bureaucracy, legislation and the threat of violence

Moss went through the difficult process of partially updating her ID to avoid the kind of problems she experienced voting in the last three elections. For example, when voting in 2020, she had to bring two backup documents to verify her identity because the name on her ID did not match the name listed on the voter roll.

“The problem is that there are a bunch of well-intentioned people who say, ‘Your ID said this and you’re not that,’ or ‘Something feels a little ‘off,'” he said. “It’s a lose-lose, because the more I look like (myself) and the happier I am with myself, the more bullshit I have to deal with every time someone sees my identity.”

Elly, who prefers to use her name only for security reasons, said seeing her dead name on a Texas identification document makes it difficult for her to show it whenever it’s necessary. “There were a few years where I didn’t have a primary care doctor, I didn’t go to appointments, I couldn’t get new glasses. There were banking issues and things like that, and I was putting those aside because I didn’t have the energy to deal with the deadname and that misgender trigger,” she told Uncloseted Media/Votebeat.

Elly eventually changed her name on her ID before the Texas attorney general made it impossible to do so. August 2024He thinks many trans people will skip voting altogether to avoid the intense discontent he has long experienced. “Having to confront this is one reason why some people say, ‘I don’t want to spiral around for the rest of the day just for the sake of having the needle move indefinitely for an infinitesimal distance in the direction I want it to move in,'” he said.

While paperwork and documentation are barriers in themselves, transgender voters also weigh their safety when deciding whether to vote: anti-trans violence on the rise and over 500 anti-trans bills are considered by state legislatures. Moss, who started carrying a knife to protect himself, said: “The civil liberties granted to normal people seem to have no significance to me.”

Dahron Johnson, a transgender woman who serves as co-chair of the Davidson County Committee of the Tennessee Equality Project, isn’t surprised by the fear some trans people feel heading to the polls. “How can you not be afraid in states where it is clear that our lives are not valued?” he said.

Johnson’s work with the Tennessee Equality Project aims to legally challenge that equality. 40 anti-LGBTQ bills these are currently making their way through his state’s legislature. “The point of trying to get ahead of the problems is so we can live normal daily lives where we can go to the grocery store, go to the library, go to the polls and do nothing. Scanning the car park to find out how many ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ plates are there because we measure the safety of every area we enter.

As Republicans put it in place increased emphasis Polling places have become increasingly nervous about the integrity of voting and the hiring of poll watchers appointed and trained by parties to observe the voting process.

in 2022 unofficial poll watchers They started going to the polls armed, masked and wearing tactical equipment. This has caused concern across the country, but it’s even more so for transgender voters. Data from the Bipartisan Policy Center shows that nearly 70% of transgender voters are concerned about the presence of guns, violence and intimidation at polling places; This rate is almost 1.5 times the rate among the general public.

“This concern is valid,” Orey said. “Trans groups are routinely subjected to threats, harassment and intimidation in both public and private spaces. Combined with a tense atmosphere and increased scrutiny on all aspects of the election, it makes sense that transgender voters would feel more at risk when voting in person.

What can trans voters do in the face of obstacles?

Orey said it is important to remember that voter intimidation is a federal crime and affected voters should notify officials at their polling place and contact the Election Protection Hotline if harassment or intimidation occurs.

This isn’t always enough for trans voters to feel comfortable at the ballot box. Maleeka Maupin, a 27-year-old Shelbyville, Tennessee native and intersex trans woman, said the town’s deeply conservative bent can make all aspects of life difficult, including voting.

Town of 25,000 people who vote about 75% Last for Trump two choicesIt didn’t show that Maupin was always welcome at the polls. He said that in past elections, people waiting in line to vote in the town’s main square made derogatory comments towards him. “We know who you’re going to vote for,” he grumbled in 2016 as another voter lined up to vote.

But Maupin didn’t let it get to her and said she wouldn’t be afraid to vote. “I don’t let anyone or anything get in my way,” he said. Others are not so brave; Some trans people told Uncloseted Media/Votebeat they had low confidence that their votes would be counted, while others said they were doing their best to avoid detection.

Kaylie Lester, a transgender woman who lives in Orlando, Florida, said she intentionally registered as a Republican even though she had always voted blue. He was frightened by stories of chaotic polling places, armed ballot box guards and voter intimidation. “I try to go with the crowd, and the crowd here is mostly Republicans,” he told Uncloseted Media/Votebeat.

Orey, who uses the pronoun they/them, recommends specific steps for transgender voters who are concerned about their safety, such as checking your voter registration status and the name you are registered with before heading to the polls, so you can be sure to bring relevant documentation with you. Do identification and polling in the middle of the day to avoid large crowds and give yourself more time to interact directly with a poll worker.

Orey also suggests bringing multiple forms of identification and showing some empathy to poll workers.

“The people they will interact with at the polling place work long hours. They are tired, they are overwhelmed. There were probably people who were verbally abusive throughout the day,” Orey said. “So it might be in their favor to take a more conciliatory approach. I think anticipating conflict can somehow reduce the risk because these people are going to be on edge anyway.

Moss, however, followed these recommendations and voted without any problems: She chose to vote early, brought multiple forms of identification, and voted toward the end of the day. She wishes the system, which she says is “full of bureaucracies,” was easier to navigate for transgender voters, but she is glad she took the time to update her name and photo on her voting ID. For her, this was another step towards “feeling more myself and loving myself more.”

Additional reporting by Sam Donndelinger and Hope Pisoni.