AP
Robert West can often be found on High Street asking passers-by for change.
In this presidential election, he says, he has already voted for change.
"I think change is gonna come," West said. "I hope Obama wins. That way everybody can get a job."
In this election year, this homeless population represents a sizable number of potential votes in Ohio, a crucial swing state. For homeless would-be voters, however, the road to pulling a lever in a voting booth is not always an easy one.
A considerable obstacle for a homeless voter is establishing proof of residence. This should not discourage a homeless voter, however, because a potential voter is allowed to submit an affidavit if the voter does not have proof of address, said Daniel Tokaji, an associate professor at the Moritz College of Law.
"Homeless voters have the same right to vote that everyone else has, and although there have been attempts to deny them that right, that right ought not be denied," Tokaji said. "If they are registered anywhere in the state, they're entitled to vote by going to their precinct on election day. That precinct would be the place that encompasses the area where they usually reside."
For homeless and low-income voters, getting to the polls in their precinct can present another challenge. West registered with volunteers on High Street working for Obama's campaign, and took the bus downtown to vote for Obama, he said.
"I have not personally had any experience registering any homeless people, but I do work downtown right on Broad (Street) in front of the Capitol building, and I've actually seen people going up and registering, people waiting for the bus saying that you don't have to have an address and working with people that don't have conventional location," said Tina Hrabak, an Obama campaign volunteer.
Faith Vote Columbus, a non-partisan coalition of religious, neighborhood and labor groups, has also worked to help the homeless vote.
During the registration period, Faith Vote Columbus volunteers drove vans to transport between 200 to 250 homeless people from shelters and soup kitchens to the polling place at Franklin County Veterans Memorial, said Ari Lipman, a lead organizer of Faith Vote Columbus.
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People line up to get on a bus in Lorain, Ohio on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008. Regain Lorain volunteers drove low income and homeless people to the Board of Elections to register to vote and vote.
"For a lot of homeless folks who want to participate, the challenge of establishing a permanent address has, in the past, prevented them from voting," Lipman said. "Because of early voting this year, that's something that we could help overcome."
Early voting in Ohio became a contentious issue in September when Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, directed county election boards to allow same-day registration and early voting through Oct. 6, the last day for registration.
The Ohio Republican Party challenged Brunner's directive in a lawsuit, but state and federal courts sided with Brunner.
"One of the arguments taken by those seeking to close that (same-day voting) window is that (keeping the window open) would lead to a lot of homeless people voting," Tokaji said.
Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Bennett said in a statement that the ruling was "a win for Jennifer Brunner's partisan efforts to aid the Democrat turnout strategy," while Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfem said "The Republicans' cynical 11th-hour ploy to disenfranchise Ohio voters has been soundly rejected in federal court."
According to the Associated Press, approximately 4,000 to 5,000 people in Ohio's four largest counties turned out for early voting.
Dan McKeever can be reached at mckeever.16@osu.edu
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