‘A part of the solution’: Recovery Ranch residents vote despite registration obstacles

At 46, Leah Rigdon was looking forward to voting for the first time.

But when she arrived at the polling station, toting her birth certificate and marriage license in hopes that those would be significant identification, she was left disappointed. Rigdon couldn’t remember if she was registered or not, and the poll worker informed her that without a voter registration card or photo ID, she wouldn’t be able to vote in the general election.

“I feel okay, but kind of frustrated,” she said.

Unlike 21 states across the country, South Carolina doesn’t allow people to register to vote on Election Day, and its deadline for registration is long gone. For Rigdon and others staying at the Loris Recovery Ranch who have been homeless, this creates extra hurdles.

“A lot of times I feel like they don’t have a voice and this is just one more way to keep it down,” Rigdon said.

Donald Whitehead, the executive director at the National Coalition for the Homeless, said lacking proper identification is a common obstacle for homeless people as they try to exercise their right to vote. This year, the problems have gotten worse, he said, as many state offices have been closed to help curb the spread of COVID-19, making getting identification a “much bigger challenge.”

Many states, including South Carolina, have altered their typical rules surrounding early voting due to the pandemic, which has caused some confusion, Whitehead said. With polling locations, voting rules and hours of operation changing, Whitehead said it’s even more important to get accurate information. The National Coalition for the Homeless runs a campaign called “You don’t need a home to vote,” which has attracted a “much higher percentage” of people and thousands of website hits this year, Whitehead said.

“The laws are very confusing this year,” he said. “I think people are really confused about what it takes to vote ... Homeless people are definitely accessing that information and we hope it can help them vote.”

The confusion is evident at the Recovery Ranch, which provides housing and resources to recovering addicts. As owner Christa Reynolds was herding people onto a bus making the rounds to different polling places, many weren’t sure which precinct they needed to go to.

Reynolds said providing transportation to the various polling places — the bus was headed to locations in Loris, Myrtle Beach, Conway and even North Carolina — was a “much larger commitment” than she expected, but it’s worth the trouble to help people participate in the election.

In a way, voting can be tied back to the 12-step addiction recovery program used at the Recovery Ranch.

“It’s the responsibility aspect,” she said. “I need to do my part.”

With same-day voter registration, Reynolds suspects all 60-plus residents at the Ranch would have voted this year, instead of the roughly 10 who were already registered by the Oct. 5 deadline.

“That would be a dream come true,” she said.

For the Ranch residents who were registered, voting was a way to insert themselves in a conversation they’ve been left out of before, Reynolds said.

“It’s important for them to know they can make a difference, especially addicts,” she said.

To Whitehead, the homeless population is “not a monolith” — the different backgrounds and perspectives make up a patchwork as diverse as the political opinions of the general population.

“They’re as diverse as the general public, and so is the voting pattern,” he said.

Frederick Williamson, a father of four who’s been at the Ranch for three months, said he’s taking advantage of his opportunity to vote and was impressed by the early voting turnout, which has shattered records across the country.

“You have the chance to try and do something about it if you disagree with someone,” said Williamson, adding that he’s voting for former Vice President Joe Biden and Jaime Harrison for U.S. Senate.

Jamie Roberts has been at the Ranch for about four months. He’s voting for President Donald Trump, but has also been focusing on local races, specifically for Horry County Council, which he feels hasn’t done enough to help homeless people in the area, adding he thinks officials seem focused on tourists more than residents.

“Certain people have been forgotten, not only by the city of Myrtle Beach but by Horry County council,” he said.

Rigdon won’t vote for the first time this election cycle. But now she’s energized and ready for the next one, saying she will “absolutely” register in time four years from now. It’s a testament to how far she’s come in her addiction recovery, she said. She’s 30 days clean from crack and alcohol, she said.

“[Before,] I didn’t care. I didn’t care what happened to other people or to me,” Rigdon said when asked what kept her from voting in the past. “I want to be a part of the solution and not part of the problem.”

This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 2:06 PM.