Transgender is an umbrella term used to capture the spectrum of gender identity and gender-expression diversity. Unsplash
Increasing voter participation
Nationwide, there are an estimated 11 million LGBTQ voters, of which 1.4 million are transgender, according to surveys by Human Rights Campaign, a Washington, D.C.-based organization. According to its U.S. transgender survey, the party affiliation for the respondents was heavily Democratic.
"Keeping trans people from voting could favor the Republican Party that is more conservative than its Democratic rival," said Professor Richard Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California, Irvine. In 2016, the outcome of the presidential election was decided by fewer than 80,000 votes in three states.
"Transgender people should not be denied their opportunity to participate in our democracy because laws and regulations around identification documents haven't kept up with reality," said Mara Keisling, head of The National Center for Transgender Equality Action Fund. While some transgender Americans report progress in obtaining updated ID's, human rights advocates maintain transgender people of color, young students, low income, and those with disabilities are overrepresented among those who would face barriers to voting.
"We hear about folks in our community who feel so uncomfortable or who are made to feel so uncomfortable that they simply give up when they are challenged on their own identity," said Tori Cooper, a Black transgender woman and director of community engagement for Human Rights Campaign's Transgender Justice Initiative.
"I know someone who is listed on a voter registration form as female, which does not accurately reflect their current gender identity, which is male. He's afraid the way he looks and presents himself could actually keep him from being able to vote in person," Cooper told VOA.
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"Voting is not about challenging people on their identities. It is giving people an opportunity to express their constitutional right to vote," she said.
Election observers say mail-in voting will remove possible negative interactions between transgender voters and poll workers.
"We are trying to break down barriers, making sure folks have the tools they need to get to the polls safely or get their mail-in ballots," said Jay Brown, senior vice president of Human Rights Campaign Foundation. "We are empowering trans people to do whatever they can and vote." (VOA)