Dear John,

VoteRiders helps people secure the ID they need to vote. Oftentimes, that ID is life-changing in other ways — allowing people to apply for employment or receive benefits like housing assistance and health care. For Prentiss Thomas, an ID meant he could stay enrolled in a residential substance abuse treatment program.

Prentiss had just moved from Ohio to North Carolina to enroll in Roof Above’s SABER (Substance Abuse Education & Recovery) treatment program. However, when he lost his wallet and his ID, his enrollment in the program was at risk. He also couldn’t get a job without an ID.

To get a new state ID, Prentiss needed a Social Security card, a copy of his birth certificate, transportation to the local ID-issuing office, and money to pay for all these things. Luckily, Roof Above — a longtime VoteRiders partner organization and Voter ID Clinic host — connected Prentiss to VoteRiders.

VoteRiders’ North Carolina Organizer Kobie Wright helped Prentiss order a copy of his birth certificate online and covered the cost. But when it finally arrived after several weeks, it wasn’t even his — it belonged to someone else.

Kobie contacted the Ohio Vital Records Office, returned the incorrect birth certificate, and requested Prentiss’ birth certificate again. Five weeks passed. Kobie called the Ohio Vital Records Office and explained the urgent situation: without a birth certificate, Prentiss could not get a state ID. Without a state ID, he couldn’t get a job, putting his housing and medical care at risk.

Shortly after Kobie made the call, Prentiss received his birth certificate. Kobie helped him coordinate his appointment and transportation to get his state ID. Finally, Prentiss had the ID he needed to stay enrolled at SABER and secure a job.

“Without VoteRiders, I probably would have given up, to say the least, because it was a very tiring and complex process,” Prentiss said.

Our donors fund every step of the ID process so VoteRiders can help voters like Prentiss: from supporting strong partner relationships with organizations like Roof Above, to hiring community-based and year-round organizers like Kobie who provide this level of personal support, to paying for all the fees and transportation costs associated with getting an ID.

Make your tax-deductible gift today and make sure VoteRiders has the resources we need in 2025 to help voters like Prentiss get the ID they need to vote — and access the vital services they need to thrive.

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Thank you,

Lauren Kunis
CEO and Executive Director
VoteRiders

P.S. $35 covers the cost of a vital document (like an ID or birth certificate) for one voter. Make a year-end gift today and help voters like Prentiss in 2025!

DONATE >> [link removed]

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VoteRiders is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit organization registered in the US under EIN 45-5081831.
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