Do you know where your birth certificate is?
This simple piece of paper might just be the most important document in your life. But you probably wouldn’t know that unless you don’t have one.
In 2020, 35 states in the U.S. require or request some form of identification in order to vote. The problem with that? Not everybody has one. And most of those people who don’t are Black, Latinx, elderly or poor.
Getting an ID isn’t as easy as it might sound. For one, you might need to show your birth certificate, and those can be hard to find, or too expensive to have reproduced.
This problem isn’t unique to the U.S. Many people around the world are disenfranchised because they don’t have documentation. And they face countless challenges.
Because without a birth certificate, you can’t vote.
You can’t legally work. Or go to school. Or have a bank account.
You can’t fully participate in society.
It’s like you don’t exist. You’re invisible.
And when a child doesn’t have their birth registered, they’re especially vulnerable to trafficking, early marriage and child labor.
This two-minute film, made in Uganda, tells two women’s stories, and shows how Plan International is changing things, one birth registration at a time.
Every birth should be registered, because every child — every person — has rights. And their voices, and their votes, matter.
Are you registered to vote? We’re created a resource for you to check. You also can find out who is running in your local district, read about your current elected officials and sign a petition for candidates to stand up for gender equality and girls’ rights. Make sure your voice is heard this election.
