Earlier this year, Disability Rights Florida and three other disability voting rights organizations, including Vote.org, the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, and the Florida State Conference of the NAACP, filed a lawsuit challenging Florida's "wet ink" signature rule for voter registration. We argue that this rule violates the Materiality Provision of the 1965 Civil Rights Act because it requires a physical signature on paper in order for some Floridians to register to vote.
Disability voting rights are at the forefront of this court case. Requiring a "wet signature" to register to vote, i.e., one done in ink on paper, is impractical and inaccessible for many people with disabilities who are otherwise capable of voting. Such a requirement imposes accessibility challenges for people with limb differences, blindness, mobility disabilities that cause weakness in their hands, individuals who are paralyzed, and many others. The wet signature rule, unfortunately, has already resulted in real-life consequences for voters.
Although our case was previously dismissed, our case is being reviewed in the 11th Circuit Appeals Court. We believe that this rule unfairly stigmatizes individuals with disabilities and hope that the court will review our case with intentionality and consideration.
Aspiring voters with disabilities should have access to alternative voting registration methods that do not rely on traditional ink-based systems so that they can exercise their right to vote, just like their non-disabled counterparts. Disability Rights Florida firmly believes in the right to vote for all who can, and we will continue to fight for disability voting accessibility, inclusion, and access whenever possible.