Our 2022 Disability Voting Work

Disability Rights Florida staff have been very busy this 2022 Primary Election season! We want to share what we've been up to, some resources that you may find useful, and information all about your power as a voter with a disability.

Disability Voting Rights Week and Tapping into the Power of the Disability Vote

Voting is a fundamental right - meaning it is a right that all Americans have, including people with disabilities. Despite it being a fundamental right, the disability community often faces accessibility barriers when they vote. People with disabilities make up approximately 25% of the U.S. population, which is a huge portion of the population, and therefore a powerful voting bloc.

On way we've advocated for the disability community's voter representation this primary election year is by honoring Disability Voting Rights Week (DVRW). DVRW takes place each year in September. The week is all about educating disabled folks about their rights, getting people with disabilities registered to vote, recognizing the history of disabled voter suppression, and highlighting the power of the disabiltiy vote. People with disabilities can and should vote just like anyone else. DVRW encourages disabiltiy organizations and stakeholders to support and educate the disability community on civic engagement. We know that people with disabilities care about and are active in the political process. However, people with disabilities face barriers that prevent them from being able to cast their vote.

According to disability and voting research done at Rutgers University, in 2020, 62% of people with disabilities voted, up from 56% in 2016. More people with disabilities voted by mail in 2020 than people without disabilities. Additionally, if people with disabilities voted at the same rate as people without disabilities, there would be 1.75 million more voters. For more facts and statistics about the disability community's voter turnout, check out Rutger's research Fact sheet: Disability and Voter Turnout in the 2020 Elections.

Resource: Fact sheet: Disability and Voter Turnout in the 2020 Elections 

Ensuring that civic engagement is accessible to people with disabilities is important because we must make pathways for people with disabilities to run for office. On a policy level, an elected official with a disability is more likely to advocate for the interests of the disability community, thus benefitting the community. Additionally, reperesentation in office truly matters. If more folks with disbailites hold seats in government office, our disabled youth will see running for office as more attainable. As time goes on, we will hopefully see more folks with disabilities present in office and have that translate to the polls. We must destigmatize disability voter participation so that folks with disability can accessibly cast their ballot.

New Accessible Voting Machines Videos

Another fantastic project we had the honor of being a part of was the creation of a series of videos that discuss how to use accessible voting machines. 

Each of these videos feature an election official and a disabled voting self-advocate. These folks guide the viewer through the various ways to use the machines. The videos have visual descriptions, audio descriptions, captions, and are availible in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language.Through the Federal Protection and Advocacy for Voting Access grant program, and sponsorship from the American Association of People with Disabilities, Block By Block Creative produced these series of videos in partnership with Disability Rights Florida, Access the Vote Florida, the Leon County Supervisor of Elections, and the Duval County of Elections. These videos  explain the function of the main two accessible voting machines, ImageCast and Express Vote. 

You can also view these videos on Access The Vote Florida's YouTube channel playlist where you can view with Spanish subtitles. 

Having videos that explain the function of accessible voting machines is important for both poll workers and users with disabilities. It allows for poll workers to be informed of the types of voting machines that are available and understand their respective functions. It also provides an easy resource that can be provided in poll worker training so they can be equipped to aid those with disabilities at any point during on election day. By being aware of the options that exist, it also allows polling sites to see if they need to upgrade their machine to better serve those with disabilities in their community.  

These videos also support users with disabilities by offering education about the different types of machines. Some polling sites may use Express Vote, while others may use ImageCast. These videos explain the features of both machines, so users with disabilities can come prepared, regardless of the machine their respective polling site is using. These videos also provide detailed explanations of all the technology provided. If a user with a disability wanted to bring their own assistive technology, they would know what would work with each machine before they arrived to the polling site, which allows them to plan and prepare for when the time comes to vote!  

Having videos that explain the function of accessible voting machines makes the voting process equitable. It gives users with disabilities the independence and autonomy to vote. It also educates poll workers about how to better serve the disability population on election day. The videos will open doors to discussing accessibility in for years to come.

Voting is a system for change, and everyone deserves the right to participate.  Let us continue to be a patron for liberty as we make the voting process more equitable for all, one step at a time!

2022 Elections Accessibility Summit: A Path to Full Civic Inclusion

We recently attended and helped host a voting summit with our coalition partner Access The Vote Florida! The theme of the 2nd annual Elections Accessibility Summit was 'A Path to Full Civic Inclusion'. Speakers and panelists from all over the state of Florida and country attended the event. Disabiltiy Rights Florida staff facilitated 4 panels discussing disability and voting topics. Panel conversations discussed topics such as accessible vote-by-mail, disability voter engagement research, intersectionality, and running for office as a person with a disability. These panels featured disability voting self-advocates and activists, scholars, election officials, and representatives from the League of Women Voters Florida, Common Cause Florida, Vote Riders, Equality Florida, The Elections Assistance Commision, and many more! Additionally, we were thrilled to hear from keynote speaker Emily Voorde, who is a life-long disability rights and voting advocate.

It was so exciting to attend this summit and see folks who are not centered in disabiltiy rights work start to really value the importance of disabled voters and election accessibility. Many attendees shared that they didn't know the impact that disability voter suppression had on folks, but were excited and invigortated by what they learned to return to their organizations and make a difference. Disabiltiy Rights Florida will continue to spread the word about disabiltiy and voting, grow our network of organizations that care about disability and voting, and make sure that Floridians with disabilites can access the ballot box. 

If you missed the summit, don't worry! The Access The Vote Florida coalition is presently in the process of processing the Zoom conference recordings for us to share with those who are interested. Stay tuned.

Learn more about the Access The Vote Florida coalition on their website and by following them on social media.