QUARTERLY DISPATCH | June 2025 |
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VoteRiders is Making a Difference |
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How To Get ID Help as a Trans or Nonbinary Voter
For well over a decade, trans Americans could update the gender markers on their passports, making them a reliable and accurate ID option not just for traveling, but for everyday life. Unfortunately, in February 2025, the State Department stopped allowing gender marker changes on passports and eliminated the “X” gender as an option entirely. This federal attack on the rights of trans and nonbinary Americans, combined with similar state-level assaults, creates confusion, uncertainty, and anxiety for LGBTQ+ citizens and millions of others. The hateful, unjust, and anti-democratic laws targeting these groups are designed to overwhelm them to the point where they don’t know where to turn or what to do.
At VoteRiders, we’re not falling for it. Read about how we’re working with our partners across the country to fight back, defend our democracy, and make sure trans and nonbinary voters have everything they need to vote with confidence ➡️
New Wisconsin Resident Votes in April 1 Election
When Laura contacted VoteRiders’ National Helpline on Saturday, March 29, she imagined it would be unlikely that she would be able to vote in Wisconsin’s high-stakes election that following Tuesday, April 1, because she didn’t have a Wisconsin state photo ID. Read Laura’s story to see how our Voter ID Assistance team got her everything she needed just in time ➡️
From Prison to Paperwork: The ID Crisis Blocking Second Chances
More than 600,000 individuals are released from prison every year, and yet there are few state and zero federal systems in place to make sure they can get the fundamental documents they need to rejoin society and rebuild their lives. According to our research, millions of Americans lack the identification they need to work, vote, obtain housing, access government benefits, receive life-saving medical care, and access other essential services. Without a way to support themselves and their families, many individuals face limited options that can lead them back to incarceration.
Learn how we’re working with our network of partner organizations across the country to ensure that communities of formerly incarcerated individuals have the essential documents they need ➡️
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Our Florida team has been busy working with the Gender Advancement Project to help trans and nonbinary voters update and secure their ID documents after completing the legal name change process. NORTH CAROLINA |
This spring, our North Carolina State Director, Jenny, joined Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services’ newly launched Mobile Recidivism Reduction Center, a one-stop shop service center on wheels that travels to various communities within the state, offering vital resources to assist individuals reentering society after incarceration. RREPS reentry specialists connect individuals who visit the center with various direct service benefits, including Medicaid, employment and housing assistance, substance abuse treatment, mental health support, pro-bono legal aid, and now, free ID help from VoteRiders. Jenny provided RREPS staff with comprehensive training on North Carolina’s voter ID requirements and how to best incorporate our free ID tools and services into their re-entry programming.
PENNSYLVANIA |
On Juneteenth, our Pennsylvania State Director, Krystle, tabled alongside Black Voters Matter Pennsylvania and the Black Political Empowerment Project to celebrate Black freedom, culture, and progress, and to honor our organizations’ collective fight to protect and empower Black voters in Pennsylvania.
TEXAS |
Our Texas State Director, Vicente, had a blast at last month’s in-person letter-writing party with our friends at Bloom Rio Grande Valley and Texas Rising Brownsville. Ahead of the June runoff election, we wrote letters to young voters across South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley to ensure they had the necessary ID information and support to vote with confidence. |
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WURD Radio: Krystle Knight | Reality Check with Tonya Pendleton
Our Pennsylvania State Director, Krystle Knight, joins WURD Radio to share that on May 12, Pennsylvania House Bill 771, a package of election reforms including a voter ID requirement, passed the House State Government Committee and may soon head to the full Pennsylvania House for a vote. |
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Voter ID Laws Across America |
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NATIONAL: Judge pauses parts of Trump's sweeping executive order on voting /NPR
Voting rights advocates celebrated a major victory when a federal judge blocked President Trump’s attempt to bypass Congress and enact an Executive Order (EO) that would have required documents like a US passport or birth certificate to register to vote when using the federal voter registration form.
NATIONAL: Judge blocks Trump passport policy targeting transgender people /Axios A federal judge blocked President Trump's Executive Order aimed at preventing Americans from getting a passport with their correct gender marker. Now, Americans can once again get a passport or passport card with an “M,” “F,” or “X” gender marker. This is a significant victory for voters in states where they cannot obtain a state ID or driver’s license that accurately reflects their gender identity. MAINE: Despite being killed by lawmakers, voter ID question to be decided on Maine ballot / WGME Despite the state legislature voting against a photo ID bill, a ballot initiative seeking to add a photo ID law and severely restrict absentee voting will now be on Maine’s ballot this November. VoteRiders is a partner in the Save Maine Absentee Voting coalition that is working to defeat the measure.
MICHIGAN: Michiganders registering to vote would have to prove citizenship under proposal / Detroit Free Press
In Michigan, voters are now being asked to sign petitions for two separate attempts to add a ballot initiative to the November 2026 ballot that would require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration. VoteRiders is participating in a “Decline to Sign” campaign that will urge Michiganders to prevent these initiatives from appearing on the ballot next year.
NEVADA: Nevada GOP governor vetoes voter ID bill that he pushed for in a deal with Democrats / Associated Press Nevada saw a lot of last-minute drama as the legislature reached an eleventh-hour compromise to pass a photo ID law, only to see the governor unexpectedly veto it. However, Nevadans will still vote in November 2026 on a ballot initiative to amend the state constitution and add a photo ID requirement for voting. TEXAS: There are limits to Republican lawmakers' reach, even in Texas / The New York Times
The Texas legislature surprisingly failed to pass a proposed “mini-SAVE Act,” which would have required documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. The Texas legislature will not meet again until 2027, so there will not be a state-level documentary proof of citizenship requirement during the 2026 midterm elections. |
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After 20 years of being disenfranchised due to a felony record, Russell's voting rights were finally restored in 2023 following his completion of mandatory supervision. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the ID he needed to make his vote count in his home state of Texas. In fact, he didn’t have the ID he needed to do most things, like get a job, secure housing, or receive medical care. Russell was released from a correctional facility in 2015 without an ID. |
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Getting a new one wasn’t even an option since he had no income, reliable transportation, or family support. With no way to move his life forward, he found himself back in a familiar place: unemployed, living off the grid, and struggling with addiction.
Nine years later, Russell finally found support through Stages of Recovery, a rehabilitation center specializing in addiction treatment in Lubbock, Texas. There, he discovered that VoteRiders offered a service that could help him get exactly what he needed — and all for free.
Read Russell's story ➡️
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VoteRiders is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit organization registered in the US under EIN 45-5081831. VoteRiders
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