We’re Loud. We’re Proud. And We’re Changing The Outcome Of Elections.

According to The Washington Post, the 2020 election might have gone very differently had the LGBTQ+ community stayed home.

Yet, even as we’re making progress, disparities remain since 21% of LGBTQ+ people aren’t registered to vote compared to 17% of non-LGBTQ+ people.

There are over 1 million LGBTQ+ college students across America. In a time when the highest office in the land has been won by as few as 80,000 voters in battleground states, these students could make all the difference.

With the midterms coming up this November 8, the LGBTQ+ vote is more important now than ever. Laws impacting the community are being passed every day and the community is ready to fight back. According to GLAAD, 83% of LGBTQ+ voters hope to vote in the 2022 midterm.

These students want to vote, so what’s stopping them?

Physical Barriers

As stricter voting laws are passed in states such as Texas, Georgia, and Iowa, many transgender students are blocked by issues with their ID. In 2020, more than a quarter of all trans people in the country didn’t have an ID that correctly reflected their identity, which could make them ineligible to vote.

The time and money it costs to change IDs make this an even greater barrier for students, especially low-income students who may not have the time or means to deal with these complications. This barrier is even higher for marginalized groups. According to the Human Rights Campaign, more than 60% of all BIPOC trans people eligible to vote chose not to or were unable to because of ID issues.

One Reddit user I spoke to couldn’t change his birth certificate, which meant he couldn’t change his driver’s license. Though he fought these legal barriers, he couldn’t vote for years. These battles are worth fighting though; this midterm he will be voting as himself for the first time!

What can your campus do?

• Help students access Transform the Vote’s #VotingWhileTrans checklist. This free resource walks trans students through the process of registering to vote with the right ID and empowers students with tools for any difficulties that arise at the ballot box.
• Provide state-by-state information on voter ID laws from VoteRiders. Each state has different requirements and helping your students understand what they’ll need to bring to the voting booth can help every student, regardless of gender presentation.
• Provide financial and legal support to help students change their legal name/gender if they choose to do so. The legal progress can be long and complicated. Helping students understand the steps and providing them with the means to do so can help overcome this daunting barrier. [

Mental Barriers

There are more than just physical barriers for LGBTQ+ to overcome though. In 2019, 16% of LGBTQ+ people chose not to vote for fear of discrimination.

Additionally, students whose gender presentation doesn’t match their name or ID may not want to out themselves to strangers, especially in their local community. One Redditor described the feeling of having to explain to poll workers why their legal name didn’t match their presentation. “I know that no one there was trying to intentionally cause me harm, but having to go through that definitely makes going to vote a hard choice.”

Multiple Redditors also expressed concern with their district’s polling locations, which are often churches. One user described feeling the need to watch poll workers count their ballot because they feared it would be tossed out after receiving dirty looks from people in the church. Another summarized what seemed to be a general feeling, “It makes me deeply uncomfortable and I really don't want to be there. In my opinion it is a form of voter intimidation and manipulation.”

What can your campus do?

• Advocate for a polling location on campus. Between academics, internships, and family, many students feel that they simply don’t have time to vote. And when shadowed by fear of discrimination, just going to vote can be a daunting task. By providing a safe, accessible space to vote, colleges empower LGBTQ+ students and every student to cast their ballot. Check out MTV’s Voting Early is Easy Toolkit to bring a voting site to your campus.
• Encourage members of the LGBTQ+ community to become poll workers. Seeing other members of the community at polling locations can ease fears of discrimination and make LGBTQ+ students more comfortable. Students can sign up to be poll workers at Power the Polls!
• Organize rides to the polls. Safety in numbers! Even if a polling place is an uncomfortable environment, being with a group of familiar peers may help students feel safe. Voting can become a fun group activity, and if students have questions they may be more comfortable asking peers.
• Educate students on mail-in voting. Mail-in voting takes away the face from the vote. This stops students from having to explain their identity, out themselves, or face potential discrimination. It also makes voting more accessible for anyone who may not have the time or ability to travel to their polling location, such as out-of-state students. One trans Redditor said, “I don’t have any stories about voting discrimination—but that’s likely due to my state doing mail-in voting! It has gone a long way in terms of accessibility and not having to worry about harassment, even prior to legally updating my documents.” ALLINtoVote.org is a free, one-stop shop for voter engagement where students can request their ballot by mail where applicable.
• Contact the Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE if someone experiences discrimination or harassment at the polls

No one should be denied their right to vote because of their identity and no one should have to fear the walk to the polls. Schools can and should do more to support their LGBTQ+ students. After all, the government should be decided “by the people” not by some of the people.

More than 915 colleges and universities currently participate in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. Learn more about ALL IN and donate to advance our work here.