We often talk about voting as a universal right -- that casting a ballot is Poor Thingsa civic duty for all people. But not everyone in the U.S. has the freedom to vote.
Voter inequality has deep roots in our country, especially impacting already marginalized communities throughout history. Women in the U.S. only received the right to vote in 1920, while black Americans couldn't vote until 1965. Some members of Indigenous communities were barred from voting until 1957, when remaining state laws finally broadened electoral access to Native people.
SEE ALSO: Why it's completely legal to trade votes across state linesOther restrictions -- including factors like land ownership and literacy -- have played a role in making voting inaccessible throughout history, consistently targeting groups of people deemed inferior.
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In the last 10 presidential elections, between 49 to 59 percent of the U.S. public voted.
It's a trend that still continues today. In the last 10 presidential elections, between 49 to 59 percent of the American public voted, meaning 51 to 41 percent of the U.S. population were not involved in the democratic process.
While some people consciously abstain from voting, barriers in voting access threaten the rights of some of the most marginalized groups in American society. Often, these are the people most affected by laws and policies that hang in the balance.
Learn more about these eight groups that face major hurdles when voting -- and efforts looking to restore or support their voting rights.
1. People with limited mobility
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Whether it's a physical disability, older age or an unforeseen injury, those with reduced mobility often have a hard time getting to the polls to cast their vote.
Polling place accessibility is legally required under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but the Government Accountability Office estimates that only 27 percent of polling places were actually accessible in the 2008 elections, the latest data available. In addition to physical barriers, long lines at polling places make waiting to cast a vote an impossibility for many people with limited mobility.
That inaccessibility means people who have reduced mobility have to put in extra planning to get absentee ballots prior to elections. With additional steps and the foresight needed to simply cast a vote, this population experiences more difficulty in an already inconvenient process -- and it shows in their voter turnout. People with disabilities are about 20 percent less likely to vote than those without disabilities.
Organizations looking to help
The American Association of People with Disabilities is a nonprofit working to increase the political and economic power of people with disabilities, including access issues. The National Council on Aging helps older populations in supporting their political and general needs, including voting access.
2. People without valid ID
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Increasingly strict voter ID laws threaten or completely eliminate the voting rights of several groups. Often, voter ID laws are discussed in reference to undocumented immigrants, who are unable to obtain a photo ID legally. And while that is true, strict voter ID laws also have ripple effects into other already vulnerable groups.
Research has found that black and Latinx citizens are more likely to lack qualifying IDs than white citizens. Even when these groups are eligible for free IDs through state programs, underlying documents -- like birth certificates -- often require a fee many low-income families cannot afford.
Transgender citizens, including those who are non-binary or genderqueer, also struggle with voting access, sometimes turned away at polling stations if their IDs are deemed "invalid." For those going through name changes, gender marker changes and appearance shifts, state ID requirements can often bar them from voting -- or apprehensive to even show up to the polls.
Voter ID laws also impact the elderly, who are more likely to lack a valid birth certificate or the financial means to obtain one. In fact, an estimated 18 percent of American citizens age 65 and above lack state-issued photo IDs -- meaning almost one-fifth of the aging population is unable to vote.
Organizations looking to help
The National Center for Transgender Equality helps take action against forms of bias toward trans voters, even providing a comprehensive resource on what to do if their voting rights are challenged. Project Vote looks to reform policy to better serve the diversity of the U.S. population, including tackling voter ID laws.
3. Individuals with felony convictions
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Voter laws for incarcerated individuals vary from state to state, meaning a person ineligible to vote in one state could have no problem casting a ballot if they lived in another state. In all but two states, people convicted of a felony are banned from voting for some period of time -- from being prohibited while incarcerated to banned for life.
Maine and Vermont are the only two states where a felony status -- incarcerated or not -- does not impact a person's right to vote. But in Florida, Iowa, Kentucky and Virginia, only individual government approval can restore voting rights. Even then, those requests can be denied.
An estimated 6 million Americans have felony convictions, with about 5 percent of the U.S. population expected to be incarcerated at some point in their lives. With the realities of mass incarceration and racism in the criminal justice system, many of those most affected by these stipulations are black, Latinx and low-income voters -- populations already politically disenfranchised. For example, 1 in 13 black voters have lost the right to vote due to a felony conviction.
Organizations looking to help
The Sentencing Project works on all areas of rights for those convicted of felonies, including voting rights. The Brennan Center for Justice also works to conduct research and change policies related to voter restoration for people convicted of felonies.
4. Individuals deemed "mentally incompetent"
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"Mental incompetency" is a medical and legal term many in the disability rights community and mental illness community deem offensive. It's also a term that can institute a lifetime ban on voting for some people with intellectual disabilities and mental illness.
The majority of states -- 42 states and the District of Columbia -- have laws that could prevent those deemed "mentally incompetent" by a court from voting, though some states do allow citizens to petition for access to the polls. These restrictions can apply to potential voters with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, Down syndrome, autism or dementia. While supporters of these voting laws claim they curb voter fraud, many activists believe they're outdated and aid in stigma.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 17 people in the U.S. live with a serious mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. In the U.S., an estimated 400,000 people live with Down syndrome, while about 3.5 million Americans live with autism spectrum disorder.
Organizations looking to help
The National Alliance on Mental Illness works to broaden access to voting for people with serious mental illness. The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, a center advocating for the rights of adults and children with intellectual disabilities, tackles voting rights from a legal perspective, and helps people understand the protections and rights they do have.
5. Undocumented immigrants
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Undocumented immigrants -- or any noncitizens -- are banned from participating in the electoral process. It's illegal under federal law for undocumented immigrants to vote in federal elections, punishable by fines, imprisonment and deportation.
As evidenced from the 2016 presidential election's debates, the rights of noncitizens are one of the biggest issues being discussed this cycle, meaning this year's election impacts their lives more than ever. And with more than 11 million immigrants living in the United States, the stakes are high for a sizable chunk of the U.S. population. Without the right to vote, undocumented immigrants have little say on their futures, which many argue is a harsh sentence given their everyday living is already highly unstable due to societal bias and few resources.
While the 14th Amendment conditions the right to vote on citizenship, that rule is at odds with many other aspects of the Bill of Rights, which extends access to education, health care and fair labor standards to noncitizens. The competing laws lead to unclear boundaries for where noncitizens' rights begin and end.
Undocumented immigrants are also making their voices heard in other ways, by sharing their views and beliefs with citizen friends and family, and engaging in political activism to help spread awareness of their needs.
Organizations looking to help
The American Civil Liberties Union is dedicated to fighting voter suppression, tackling restrictive voting laws -- including laws impacting undocumented citizens -- in 15 states.
6. Low-income individuals
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While voter eligibility doesn't depend on income, living in or near poverty makes voting inaccessible for many adults. Election Day is always on a Tuesday -- a workday for the majority of Americans -- with limited hours to visit the polls.
Workers who cannot break their daily routine to vote -- whether it's out of fear of losing income or a job -- are automatically exempt from exercising their right to cast a ballot. Pew Center research also shows financial security is highly correlated with political engagement. Experts believe higher levels of education (often accessible only to those with economic stability) lead to a valuing and understanding of political engagement.
Financially insecure people are significantly less likely to vote than those with more economic stability. According to recent U.S. Census data, only about 25 percent of poor voters turned out at the polls in 2014. That's compared to an estimated 56 percent of financially stable voters who turned out in the same year.
Organizations looking to help
Project Vote and the ACLU are both dedicated to better serving low-income voters through community outreach and legal protections made to make voting as a low-income worker easier.
7. People experiencing homeless
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If you're experiencing homelessness, figuring out how to register to vote can be a struggle -- especially when simply surviving is a top priority.
On a more technical level, voters often register to cast their ballot using a form that determines their district by their street address. Though someone who is homeless can cite a homeless shelter or even a park bench as their residence, committing to a stable location is a rarity for homeless individuals. Voter ID laws also impact homeless voters, who often don't have the qualifying paperwork to receive a free state ID or the financial means to obtain copies of the needed documents.
Other barriers affecting potential voters experiencing homelessness include a lack of access to polling locations and inability to engage with information on the political process and candidates, much of which is only present online, on television or in the media.
Organizations looking to help
The National Coalition on Homelessness helps to engage the homeless population in the electoral process, giving homeless populations the necessary information they need to register to vote.
8. Indigenous communities
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While all Indigenous communities legally gained the right to vote in 1957, many Native American activists are still fighting cases of voter suppression across the U.S. Several lawsuits by tribes against state governments have accused officials of having institutional policies that unfairly place a burden on potential Indigenous voters.
In March, an investigative report by Indian Country Today Media Network found that Native Americans and Alaskan Natives have reported voting-related problems in several states, many resulting in litigation.
Some reported language barriers in voting materials, which are often not translated into Native languages. Others said polling places were moved off reservations to inconvenient locations that were difficult to access. Indigenous voters are also barred from using tribal ID as a valid form of voting identification, which means voter ID laws hit their communities in substantial ways.
Organizations looking to help
The National Congress of American Indians has long advocated for Indigenous voter rights since 1944. The organization also launched Native Vote, a resource that gives Native Americans and Alaskan Natives essential resources for engaging in the voting process.
Topics Social Good Elections
