{"id":15553,"date":"2023-05-24T17:11:35","date_gmt":"2023-05-24T17:11:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/?p=15553"},"modified":"2025-02-20T16:56:40","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T16:56:40","slug":"denise-voter-story-ga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/denise-voter-story-ga\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I Have Everything I Need Now\u2019 Says Georgia Voter"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there is one thing to learn from Denise Ellis, it\u2019s that laughter yoga can help you cope with stressful situations – like being at the DMV.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Denise is a sixty-nine-year-old <\/span>laughter yoga<\/span><\/a> instructor who needed a new driver\u2019s license when she moved to Columbus, Georgia, in 2021.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"GA
Denise, Georgia voter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Unfortunately, her experience at the DMV reflects the bureaucratic and costly maze that traps far too many Americans who need something as simple as a plastic ID card to stay afloat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had been to the DMV three times already and had been turned away,\u201d Denise explained. \u201cThey wanted everything. Birth certificate, motor vehicle report, divorce certificate. Everything had a fee, but I didn\u2019t have a job, so I couldn\u2019t afford to pay those fees. If you\u2019re a poor person, you can\u2019t navigate through that.\u201c<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The one piece of documentation Denise did have was her original birth certificate, but even that was rejected by the DMV representative.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey wanted a birth certificate that costs money,” said Denise. \u201cI had the original with the little footprints on it. They could have taken my footprints and realized I was the same person.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Denise was close to giving up hope when she met <\/span>Rev. Monica Spencer<\/span><\/a> at a Muscogee County Board of Elections meeting. As the two women spoke, Denise mentioned how hard it had been for her to secure a new Georgia driver\u2019s license. Monica gave Denise her <\/span>VoteRiders<\/span><\/a> card and told her to give her a call. As VoteRiders\u2019 <\/a><\/span>Georgia Organizer<\/span><\/a>, Monica was the perfect person to help Denise <\/span>get a new driver\u2019s license for free<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was smooth sailing from there on out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Monica helped Denise track down the various documentation she needed to prove her identity and covered all the fees. She also accompanied Denise to the DMV, which Denise found to be especially helpful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHaving support at the DMV was the biggest part because I was traumatized from being there so many times,\u201d she explained. \u201cI kept going and trying but wasn\u2019t successful until Monica came along.\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

After submitting the required documentation Denise finally received her new Georgia driver\u2019s license, which she can now use to apply for employment, access social service programs, travel, and <\/span>vote<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou need an ID to live,\u201d Denise concluded. \u201cI have everything I need now.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If there is one thing to learn from Denise Ellis, it\u2019s that laughter yoga can help you cope with stressful situations – like being at the DMV.\u00a0 Denise is a sixty-nine-year-old laughter yoga instructor who needed a new driver\u2019s license when she moved to Columbus, Georgia, in 2021.\u00a0 Unfortunately, her experience at the DMV reflects […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":15560,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[710,113],"tags":[277,308,328],"class_list":["post-15553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-save-stories","category-voter-stories","tag-georgia","tag-voter-id","tag-voteriders","state-ga"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018I Have Everything I Need Now\u2019 Says Georgia Voter • VoteRiders<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"VoteRiders' Georgia Organizer 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