Volunteers help unhoused Tucsonans get documents to vote

She’s a paid organizer for VoteRiders, a nonprofit that helps U.S. citizens obtain the legal documents that they need to vote, such as IDs and birth certificates.

“We have thousands of volunteers all over the country,” she said. “Right now we have paid organizers in six states. We focus on nine, but there are 38 states right now that require identification in order to vote.”

On the library’s back lawn, ElGhaouti says she was inspired to work for VoteRiders after Arizona passed a law in 2022 mandating proof of citizenship and residency for all voters.

“Adding these barriers of requiring documentation is really a solution without a problem, because the amount of voter fraud that was transpiring was minuscule,” she said. “But the number of people that will be affected and not actually be able to cast a ballot even though they should legally be able to … there’s no balance to that.”

After manning the table for about an hour, ElGhaouti is joined by Karl Wagner, who enters through the automatic door. As the outreach coordinator for Pima County’s Homeless Services, he responds to complaints about the unhoused in public places and tries to get them the help they need. He says the unhoused often don’t have documents because they’re frequently stolen.

“And that’s the thing, is most people out there are kind of in survival mode, and they don’t really care what they need to do to get what they need to survive, including going through your stuff while you’re sleeping and taking whatever you have,” Wagner said.

Soon, Tami Christine Martinez arrives. Wagner has been collaborating with ElGhaouti and the city of Tucson to find housing. She’s been on the streets for four years now, but after working with Wagner for less than a week, she’s hopeful she’ll find a place soon.

“It’s dangerous and it’s cold and it’s hot and it’s just not fun,” Martinez said. “And I would just really wish that everybody could just get a place to live. It’s not fun being on the streets and not knowing where to lay your head down.”

Beyond voting, helping the unhoused get documents can also give them access to things like veterans’ services and Social Security.

“It’s fulfilling to know that you’ve had this impact on their life, making them stable and giving the opportunity to breathe,” said ElGhaouti. “And that way they can think about what they actually do want in the political process. Because you need to have your basic needs met before you can start thinking about things outside of that.”