The 2020 elections are upon us and, unsurprisingly, the act of voting is dominating the headlines. With that in mind, here's a brief roundup of stories that caught our attention, with an emphasis on the voting experience for people with disabilities.
Florida Officials Aim To Make Voting Easier For People With Disabilities—NPR, November 2, 2020
Several Florida counties are trying out a new system to help voters with disabilities have more privacy when they cast their ballots.
What Does Voting Mean to You?
AAPD has been collecting first-person accounts from people with disabilities about why they're voting, and what voting means to them.
Voting while blind has brought frustration, confusion, tears — and lots of legal fights across the country—Washington Post, October 31, 2020
The technology exists for people with visual disabilities to electronically vote from home, but the ability to do so differs from one state to the next. Virginia only started offering the option this year, in response to a successful lawsuit.
How Massachusetts people with disabilities can vote in 2020 thanks to technology and advocacy groups—Herald News, November 2, 2020
An accessible vote-by-mail system, mail-in ballots and in-person voting are options people with disabilities have used this election year.
MSNBC columnist Liz Plank interviewed first-time voters with disabilities who are eager to vote Trump out—MSNBC, November 2, 2020
Young voters with disabilities are speaking out by showing up at the polls to vote against a president who mocked them four years prior.
To learn more about voting concerns for people who are blind or low vision, check out the Voting section in the September 2020 Flatten Inaccessibility research report.
Additional Resources
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is hosting an Election Day hotline that blind and low-vision voters, poll workers, and voting rights advocates can call when problems with accessible voting technology or other barriers prevent a blind voter from casting a private and independent ballot. To access the hotline, call 1-877-632-1940 on November 3, 2020 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is providing live election support now, through multiple channels. Text, chat, or call:
English 866-OUR-VOTE 866-687-8683
Spanish/English 888-VE-Y-VOTA 888-839-8682
Asian Languages/English 888-API-VOTE 888-274-8683
Arabic/English 844-YALLA-US 844-925-5287
www.866ourvote.org
There is a Protection and Advocacy (P&A) System and Client Assistance Programs (CAP) agency in every state and U.S. territory as well as one serving the Native American population in the four corners region. Collectively, the P&A/CAP network is the largest provider of legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States. Find yours here: https://www.ndrn.org/about/ndrn-member-agencies/
The American Council of the Blind (ACB) is keeping a list of stories for future advocacy: Even after election day, the fight for accessible voting will be far from over. Send your stories about any challenges you face or the way you overcame challenges to voting@acb.org.
Additionally, the National Coalition for Accessible Voting’s "Plan Your Vote 2020" guide is linked on their homepage: www.ncavoting.org
