Transgender voters risk losing their voice in 2022 midterms

Photo: UCLA Williams Institute

Less than two weeks before the midterm elections, the window for transgender voters to verify their identities for voting is closing fast.

Roadblocks for trans people to acquire accurate identification abound, while ID requirements to vote are getting stricter in a growing number of states. The predictable result will be fewer trans people voting in 2022, just as their rights are coming under attack from anti-LGBTQ candidates.

According to the latest research from UCLA’s Williams Institute, over 200,000 trans voters could be disenfranchised this November.

It could be worse. A 2015 study from the National Center for Transgender Equality reveals voter participation from trans people is higher than among all eligible voters, 54% to 42%, meaning more trans voters will manage to cast a ballot despite the barriers to their participation.

Trans people face numerous challenges in changing their official ID gender markers. The process can take time, money, and access to medical care that many trans people, particularly younger individuals, don’t have.

According to the Movement Advancement Project, 10 states require…

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