The Huffington Post has often been a part of my leisurely reads I come across with interesting and entertaining articles, but yesterday I found this article, which paired perfectly with what we had discussed in our previous class. The title “New California Law Gives Free IDs To Homeless People So They Can Access Housing, School” creates the idea that all California cities have begun giving IDs out at absolutely no cost. While this may be partly true, in another article I found from the San Diego Free Press regarding the same law, the writer points out that there are hidden fees within the documentation required to receive the IDs as well.
When further reading the Huffington Post article by editor, Eleanor Goldberg, she mentions the hardships of attempting to retrieve required identification necessary to attend school, join helpful programs and agencies, obtain financial assistance, and lastly, vote. Homeless people are not voiceless, and since Huffington Post is a popular source for my generation hopefully it will create more awareness. In fact, after reading this article, the next day, I found it floating around on Facebook. Homelessness is not something my generation often talks about, but needs to.
As discussed in class, we do not hear about the lower wage working class, or the homeless, because they do not vote. It is a voice that is not mentioned in the media, nor in political debates, in addition to a voice miscounted. I found a website that provides a manual of voting rights that was created during the project “You Don’t Need A Home to Vote” in 2012. It provides a clear list of each states ID and residency requirements. Although the state is moving towards the right direction, there are still underlying factors that prevent this population of people from voting.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-id-homeless-people_us_55ae9054e4b07af29d568b34
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/projects/vote/Manual_2012.pdf (Suggestion: Begin from page 44)
I think your interest in voting rights and people in our Millennial generation interesting. As you are discussing our generation’s lack of engagement with the topic of homelessness, I think you could also say that this is where we are also underrepresented in the polls. Voting can be seen as an effective tool to create certain kinds of change or to be represented. Low voter numbers for people in our age bracket as well as the lack of homeless people participating in the polls contributes to misrepresentation in law. Although, there are clearly efforts being made on a different level, possibly with the non-profit or local organizations. I think that we could argue the importance of the vote and what politics and law decide in the end- and really if its something we want to be apart of to truly create change.