Trans voters speak out o over incorrect voting cards
They say clearing up changes in person is unfair and may make others feel unsafe
Transgender voters are speaking out after receiving registration cards bearing their former names, saying the need to clear up name changes in person could put others in an unfair and potentially unsafe position.
Cecilio Escobar, a transgender documentary filmmaker who legally changed his name in 2016, said it was “infuriating” to receive an incorrect voter card early last week after he had put in work to update his other forms of identification, including his Ontario-issued drivers’ licence and health card.
“Everything says ‘Cecilio Escobar,’ ” he said, referring to his IDs. “It’s like everything we do is in vain. It’s super infuriat- ing.”
Escobar, who has not yet cast his ballot, said he fears other trans or non-binary voters may not know they are able to vote, or will worry about having to out t themselves in front of droves of people.
Eligible voters will be able to cast a ballot, even if their registration card is incorrect, Elections Ontario spokesperson Cara Des Granges told the Star.
There was a May 29 deadline for updating voter registry information online, she said, but residents still have the option of clarifying their identification inperson at their local returning office, or at the polls on voting day.
“It is important to note that while someone may have legally changed their name on certain documents, a legal name change does not automatically change the name on Elections Ontario’s voters list,” Des Granges said.
“This is why we ask Ontarians to update their information ahead of elec- tion day or at the polls when they go to vote.”
To be eligible to vote in Thursday’s provincial election, a voter must be 18 or older on election day, a Canadian citizen and a resident of Ontario.
If a voter’s registration card is correct, Des Granges said, they must bring proof of their name to the polling station. If the name on the card is incorrect, or the voter is not on the voters list, the voter must bring identification that proves both their name and current address.
The Elections Ontario website includes a list of examples of acceptable ID.
Both Escobar and Soren D’Alimonte, who changed his name last year, said they weren’t aware of the deadline to update their registry information online.
D’Alimonte, who went to the polls early to avoid crowds, brought proof of his name change.
“I brought it with me because I knew how this would go down. I didn’t let myself get twisted, because, at the end of the day, I know who I am,” he said.
Staff were “professional” when they accommodated him, D’Alimonte said.
Still, he says the experience was frustrating. “Those things shouldn’t happen, because it makes a lot of people feel unsafe, disrespected and unwelcome,” D’Alimonte said. “I hope we just get our right names on the cards the next time.”
Both men said asking trans voters to clear up name-related issues at the polls can cause safety concerns.
“It’s a trans person’s right when to disclose that,” Escobar said, “so you’re forcing us to disclose our status. It’s another way of othering us, when we are just citizens voting.”
Escobar said he had updated his registry information in midMay, in order to preclude any mix ups, but still received an incorrect card last week.
“I thought, ‘Oh s---t, is this going to cause me problems when I go to vote?’ because all my IDs have my new name. I freaked out a little,” he said.
Escobar received another card last Thursday bearing his correct name.