Ahmad Goree, left, with Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, and Deputy Elections Administrator Melissa Kouba

Ahmad Goree, board president for The Muhlaysia Booker Foundation

As Election Day approaches and with early voting already underway in Dallas County, community activist Ahmad Goree, president of the board for The Muhlaysia Booker Foundation, has been working with Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and the Dallas County Elections Department to incorporate into the county’s poll worker training tips to making sure members of the transgender community have a smooth and fair voting experience, according to a press release from the foundation.

This is believed to be the first of its kind in Dallas County and across the state and possibly the country, the press release noted.

“I commended Judge Jenkins and the Dallas County Elections Department for stepping up and making sure all voters, regardless of their identity, have an opportunity to exercise their constitutional right without fear or intimidation,” Goree said.

“I hope that elections officials across Texas and the U.S. can provide the same trainings in their communities as well,” he added.

Dallas County Elections will continue to improve their training and is looking to record a training video that will discuss voting while trans in more detail, officials said.

Goree said this work started when he addressed the U.S. Department of Justice LGBTQI+ Rights Community Meeting, hosted in June by Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general, civil rights, to express concern that transgender men and women can and have experienced issues while voting when their appearance doesn’t match their photo ID picture or name.

Clarke connected Goree with the DOJ’s attorneys in voting section to discuss solutions in which they agreed to work to make sure this community is protected while voting.

Nationally, more than 800,000 transgender people are currently eligible to vote, but some 210,000 of them don’t have IDs that reflect their correct name and/or gender.

Trans Equality has compiled a list of tips on Voting While Trans to help. These include knowing what documentation to take with you to the polls, such as a state-issued ID, a voter registration card or even a utility bill; what to do if you have issues in casting your ballot, for instance if a poll worker questions your identity; what to do if you are still denied the chance to vote; and asking for a provisional ballot.

The site also offers a printable Voting While Trans Guide in both English and Spanish.

— Tammye Nash