This week is National Disability Voter Registration Week! People with disabilities are a huge portion of the voting bloc as 1 in 4 people with disabilities live in America –that’s 61+ million voices strong. Be seen. Be heard. Be counted. Register to vote today!
Easterseals HQ put together a checklist to make sure your voice is heard at the polls!
What resources are available for voting during COVID-19?
- When We All Vote: Vote By Mail, Explained
- NPR: How to Make Sure You Cast Your Ballot in November (Vote By Mail Tips)
- AAPD: Voter Resource Center
What are my rights as a voter with a disability?
Federal laws require that all Americans have the same opportunity to participate in the voting process.
A voter with a disability has the right to:
- Vote privately and independently
- Have an accessible polling place with voting machines for voters with disabilities
- Wheelchair-accessible voting booths
- Entrances and doorways that are at least 32 inches wide
- Handrails on all stairs
- Voting equipment that is accessible to voters who are blind or who have low vision
- Bring your service animal with you into your polling place
- Seek assistance from workers at the polling place who have been trained to use the accessible voting machine, or
- Bring someone to help you vote (including a friend, family member, caregiver, assisted living provider, or almost anyone else).
What if my rights as a voter with a disability are being violated?
If you experience any problems accessing the polls on election day, contact:
- 866 OUR VOTE at www.866ourvote.org or 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683)
- 888-Ve-Y-Vota (888-839-8682) for Bilingual English and Spanish assistance
- Call 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) for assistance in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, or Tagalog
- The Election Assistance Commission, 1-866-747-1471 or BeReady16@eac.gov
- The Department of Justice, Voting Section at www.justice.gov/crt/contacting-voting-section, 800-253-3931, or voting.section@usdoj.gov
- Your state or local election office – find your state here.
- Your state Protection & Advocacy Agency – a list of state agencies can be found on the National Disability Rights Network website.
Download the resource card below to take with you on election day!
Is it too late to register to vote?
- Register to vote — There’s still time! State deadlines can be found here.
- Register to vote online at www.aapd.com/REVUP
- Study up the voter ID laws in your state.VoteRiders has created wallet-cards with the ID requirements for each state. Find them here. You can also contact their Voter ID Hotline at 1-844-338-8743.
- Identify your polling place – VOTE411.org offers a tool to locate your polling place based on the address where you are registered to vote.
- Consider voting absentee – learn more about rules and guidelines here.
- Consider participating in early voting, if offered in your area – This early voting chart lists time frames for those states that offer early voting.
- Check out this SMS Tool – The Voting Information Project supports a SMS Tool that provides voters with election information via text message. By texting “VOTE” or “VOTO” to GOVOTE (468-683), voters can find polling places, contact information for local election officials, and registration URLs. The app is available in multiple languages.
- Reach out to your local election officials to learn about other options available to you:
- “Curbside voting,” in which a poll worker brings all voting materials to your car.
- Mobile polling places at long-term care facilities.
- Transportation to the polls and help identifying the accessibility of polling places.
- “Curbside voting,” in which a poll worker brings all voting materials to your car.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- National Association of the Deaf – ALS Voter Hotline
- SignVote, a Deaf and Hard of Hearing community-based Voter GOTV mobilization effort.
Blind and Low Vision
- Department of Justice – ADA Polling Place Checklist
- National Federation of the Blind – Training for Poll Workers
- National Federation of the Blind – The Blind Voter’s Guide to Voting
- National Federation of the Blind – Voting Guide for Young People who are Blind
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Self Advocates Becoming Empowered – Voting and Guardianship
- Self Advocates Becoming Empowered – Voting Laws
Mobility
- Department of Justice – ADA Polling Place Checklist
- Election Assistance Commission – Quick Start Guide: Accessibility
For more information on the Voting Rights Act (VRA), Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (VAEHA), National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), and Help America Vote Act (HAVA) please visit the Department of Justice’s Voting Section website: www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/
Be sure to check out AAPD’s REV UP Campaign.
“VOTE as if your life depends on it—Because it DOES!” Answer legendary disability advocate Justin Dart’s call and register to vote or update your registration today at weall.vote/revup!
#DisabilityVote #NDVRW
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