Domestic Abuse: A Barrier to the Polls

Voting empowers citizens to choose candidates they feel will best represent their vision of a just society. It is a basic human right. For victims of domestic abuse, basic freedoms and liberties like exercising the right to vote are almost always on the line. Voting is an act of power. Domestic abusers seek to disempower. Being denied access to voting is one of the many ways by which victims are told that what they have to say doesn’t matter; it suffocates, smothers, and suppresses so that victims cannot express who they are and what they stand for.

New Hope Midcoast advocates routinely see victim isolation as an abusive tactic meant to deny access to other views and ideas while engendering fear of retaliation. Abusers also infringe on a victim's right to vote by limiting access to news sources with candidate information, refusing transportation to get to the polls, threatening to harm the victim, and threatening the victim’s children by inflicting physical and emotional harm.

While most information about the relationship between voting and domestic abuse is undocumented, the link is assumed to be quite substantial. In a 2016 election poll, the Pew Research Center found that 14% of Americans rely on social media to gather information on candidates and voting procedures. Victims denied access to technology or who are closely monitored by their abuser are already at a great disadvantage.

Privacy is also a significant concern. In their work to mobilize voters and provide information, canvassers may unwittingly disclose voter leanings when visiting homes, possibly alerting abusers to their victim’s preferences and inciting further abuse. Some states remove names from voter rolls when individuals do not vote in an election or do not respond to efforts to collect current mailing addresses. To preserve their privacy and safety, victims may choose not to provide their current address or may ask to be excluded from rolls. In either case, they must re-register at each election, which presents yet another obstacle to voting.

Municipalities and victims themselves can help to protect and preserve victim safety during the election process by requesting that state legislators advocate to:

• Ensure the availability of early voting, automatic voter registration, same-day, and election day voter registration. Victims can also check on the option to vote by postal mail
• Provide convenient polling locations. Victims can ask a friend for support and arrange to be at the polls when the abuser is typically busy
• Address confidentiality by offering post office boxes for all matters of public record
• Supply unique voter identification cards that do not use names. Victims can ask about secret voting while at the polls
• Enhance ways for victims to access current voting information like a quick escape button on websites where candidate information is posted
• Educate candidates, local shelters, and elected officials on the importance of providing victims with unique access to information and polls

The negative impact of domestic abuse on voting rights is unacceptable and just one of many clear examples of how an abuser violates their victim’s right to express themself. Everyone should have the opportunity to vote. New Hope empowers clients by providing options and treating everyone with care and respect. Our advocates help clients obtain candidate information through confidential online sources, register to vote, especially if they have relocated due to domestic abuse, and explore options for getting to the polls as needed. These actions enable long-term empowerment and can be one of the first steps in helping clients make their views known.

New Hope Midcoast is one of Maine’s Regional Domestic Violence Resource Centers and a member of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence. The nonprofit organization supports people impacted by domestic abuse, dating violence, and stalking through housing and legal advocacy, education and prevention programs, and a 24/7 helpline. The organization serves Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox, and Waldo Counties.

Information for this article comes from the August/September 2024 issue of the “Domestic Violence Report” which cites the Center for American Progress’ original article at https://www.americanprogress.org/article/obstacles-voting-survivors-intimate-partner-violence/partner-violence/.