An estimated 1.3 million adult transgender U.S. citizens are eligible to vote in the November 2026 midterm elections, according to a new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. In the United States, 36 states have voter ID laws that require voters to present identification when voting at the polls. Among these, 33 primarily conduct their elections in person.
Within these states, an estimated 323,700 transgender citizens may face barriers to voting in the upcoming elections because they lack an ID that lists their correct name and/or gender. Approximately 113,700 of those without IDs live in states with the strictest voter ID laws, where a government-issued photo ID is required to vote, and few or no alternatives are available.
Many transgender people do not have ID documents that list their correct name and gender. Among transgender adult citizens who responded to the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey (USTS), 49% said that they had no form of ID that lists their correct name, and 54% had no form of ID that represented their correct gender. Approximately 58% had no form of ID that correctly represented both their name and gender.
Transgender people who are Black, indigenous, or people of color; young adults; students; people with low incomes; people experiencing homelessness; and people with disabilities are more likely to lack accurate IDs for voting.
“Voter ID laws create a unique and, in some cases, insurmountable barrier to voting for a substantial number of transgender people,” said lead author Will Tentindo, Staff Attorney at the Williams Institute. “States must take steps to improve access to the ballot for transgender voters, including changing voter ID laws, making the process of obtaining accurate IDs simpler and more affordable, training poll workers, and reducing barriers to voting more broadly.”
Transgender voters who have IDs may need to update them to reflect their correct name, photo, and gender marker when they begin living according to their gender identity. This can be challenging, as laws vary substantially across states and federal agencies. In some places, updating these documents is prohibited altogether. Currently, eight states prohibit changes to an individual’s gender marker on their driver’s license, and 10 states prohibit changes to an individual’s gender marker on their original birth certificate. Seven states prohibit corrections on both documents, including five (Indiana, Kansas, Tennessee, Florida, and Texas) that require a photo ID to vote.
Even in states where changing one’s name and gender marker on state IDs is allowed, the process can be difficult, time-consuming, and costly, often requiring court orders, physician letters, and fees for new ID cards.
The second Trump administration has declared voter identification a key policy priority. The SAVE America Act, under consideration in Congress, would require a photo ID to vote and narrow the types of acceptable identification. In addition, President Trump issued an executive order on March 31, 2026, that would impose greater federal oversight of mail-in ballots. The order is currently being challenged in court.
“Prohibiting or restricting eligible voters from voting undermines democracy, and it undermines transgender citizens having a voice in the electoral process,” said co-author Jody L. Herman, Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute. “Voter ID laws can potentially disenfranchise a substantial number of transgender people and can be particularly impactful in elections decided by a small number of votes.”
Since the 2024 presidential election, many states have updated their voting laws. Specifically, between January 2025 and May 2026, at least 19 states have passed 44 laws that restrict voting procedures.