‘Their voice counts’: League of Women Voters registers homeless people at Ogden shelter

OGDEN — Political conversations at Lantern House, the Ogden homeless shelter, typically start out innocently enough.

Little by little, more people will usually chime in, when the differences of opinion become apparent. “Then it gets full blown,” said Dorothea Benefield, a Lantern House resident.

Indeed, Macy McCormack, a Weber County League of Women Voters volunteer, suspects most Lantern House residents have strong opinions and issues they care about. “But they’re simply not provided the resources to be civically engaged,” she said.

In a bid to counter that, the League of Women Voters and Lantern House are teaming up to register the unhoused at Lantern House. The effort started Wednesday with the registration of 15 people, and additional registration drives are planned at the shelter through October, all aimed at bolstering the political involvement of homeless people. Election Day is Nov. 5.

“We need to get them interested in learning about politics and how they can shape government. They need to learn that their voice counts,” said Wendy Mayfield, a Lantern House resident who was among the 15 who registered on Wednesday.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, low-income people and homeless people are traditionally among the “most poorly represented” blocs in elections. They may not have possession of proper identity documents to register to vote, according to the organization, or realize that having a traditional residence isn’t a requirement to vote in any U.S. state. “Voter registration and voting can be complex for any person and may be even more so for people experiencing homelessness,” reads a toolkit created by the National Alliance to End Homelessness to encourage voting by those who are homeless.

Alyssa Jackson, a Lantern House employee who was assisting McCormack with voter registration efforts on Wednesday, suspects a more fundamental issue may be at play — a low sense of self-worth among the unhoused. “They don’t feel valued, that their voice matters, especially when it comes to politics,” she said.

Stats on voter turnout among people without homes are hard to come by, but a report from 2012 posted by the National Coalition for the Homeless puts the figure at 10%. That compares to nationwide turnout among the voting-eligible population of 58.6% in 2012, a presidential election year, according to the U.S. Elections Project, and 46% in the midterm elections of 2022, according to the Pew Research Organization.

Mayfield, for one, says it’s a “civic duty” for Americans to vote, and she praised Wednesday’s outreach effort. The League of Women Voters plans to return to Lantern House to register additional voters on Oct. 8, 16 and 22. “I think it is absolutely wonderful,” Mayfield said.

Vic Coccimiglio, of Ogden, who took advantage of the opportunity to register at Lantern House on learning of the drive, said homeless people may be more focused on issues of survival. Nevertheless, they perhaps have more to gain by voting and getting involved politically.

“They more than any other group need to express their opinion through voting,” he said. “A lot of people forget about homeless people.”

‘Their voice counts’

While Benefield, the Lantern House resident, says political talk can get heated, residents are split on whether the shelter leans to the left or the right. Benefield senses more support for Republican Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential race, while Shellie Manzanares, also a resident, senses more support for Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential hopeful.

Mayfield, meantime, looks at the issue another way. Some Lantern House residents pay attention to political matters, “and some of them are misinformed,” she said. Still more, meantime, are unengaged.

“People think their votes don’t count, but they truly do. Everything they do counts,” Mayfield said. “It’s very important that they learn they can vote, and their voice counts.”

In that vein, Jackson was thrilled at Wednesday’s results, even if just 15 registered. “The 15 is a really exciting number for me because getting engagement sometimes is hard,” she said.

Some Lantern House residents who spoke with KSL.com said they’re already registered to vote. However, if they’re not living at the address they provided when they originally registered, they won’t likely receive the ballot. Jackson said the ballots of those who register at Lantern House will be mailed to the shelter for distribution to the new voters.