Foreclosures may affect elections, especially among minority voters
The latest projection is that 3 million homes will be foreclosed by the end of the year. Â The effects of what’s been called the “foreclosure crisis” are obvious in the real estate market, the economy as a whole and the specific economies of the families that have lost their homes.
But there is another toll who’s impact will be seen in less than two weeks, in fact to be precise on election day November 2nd. There’s a negative impact that the foreclosure crisis is having on the voting process, where eligible voters have been forced to move from their homes.
The basic problem was outlined in an October 4th editorial in the New York Times. The startling and significant piece of information is that “Because the foreclosure crisis is so recent, not much work has been done to ensure that people who lose their homes do not also lose their chance to vote. Many of the hardest-hit neighborhoods are low- income and minority areas, which tend to vote Democratic.”
Minnesota Public Radio’s Jessica Mador filed an in-depth report October 19th that outlines this specific problem among voters in her state. It’s worth a listen:
