From My View

People with disabilities have a power they may not realize they have the right to vote. Even if you are not disabled, voting is a powerful right and can drastically affect the outcome of elections as seen in our most recent election.  Unfortunately, people with disabilities votes are never recognized in election analyses making us essentially invisible because our impact is not considered.

There are several laws in effect giving people with disabilities the right to vote especially with regard to polling place accessibility, accessible voting machines, and the right to privacy like everyone else. 

The Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984 requires polling places across the United States to be physically accessible to people with disabilities for federal elections.

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 makes it easier for all Americans to vote with the basic purpose of increasing low registration rates of minorities and persons with disabilities. This act requires all offices of State-funded programs that are primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities to provide all program applicants with voter registration forms, to assist them in completing the forms, and to transmit completed forms to the appropriate State official.

And let’s not forget one of my favorites, the Help America Vote Act of 2002, civil rights legislation to ensure voters are treated equally across the United States of America.  This law increases State’s responsibility for election administration.  Requirements include replacing punch-card ballots and providing accessible voting devices for the physically disabled at all polling sites.

A couple of the key provisions focus on voting machines:

• The act authorizes federal funding for states to upgrade voting machines.

• Voting machines must provide voters with an opportunity to privately and independently vote with at least one voting machine at every polling place that has enhanced requirements for accessibility for voters with disabilities.

Arkansas received funding authorized by this act, but accessible voting machines are still nowhere to be found here in Phillips County.  How would you like it if you had to tell someone who you want to vote for?  When a person with a disability does choose to vote here, they are met with voting machines on stands that cannot be moved to make them accessible.  If a person with a disability goes to vote here, they must take someone with them to assist with reaching the machines OR ask someone working at the polling place to assist them.

There are voting machines that could be accessible to and usable by people with disabilities but the local election commission has yet to provide them.  The very company that provides our voting machines has a model that could be provided for people with disabilities.  According to the Arkansas.gov web site, ╥Every polling site in the state will offer at least one touch-screen voting machine that is accessible for voters with physical and visual disabilities.╙ Even though this law was passed in 2002 and Arkansas received funding authorized by HAVA, our touch screen voting machines are all the same height, not one machine is setup for people with disabilities.  When a person in a wheelchair goes to vote in Phillips County, they should not be faced with a machine setting up too high nor should they have to bring or get assistance from someone else.

Voting polls should be architecturally accessible too.  Accessible polls should have disabled parking, curb cuts which allow access into the location, and getting around inside the location. I’ll never forget one time I went to vote and upon arrival a man had fallen out of his wheelchair into the street because the curb cut had more than a one inch rise at the end.  Thankfully, other people coming to vote rushed over to him and helped him before a car came along and hit him.

People with disabilities wake up and let your voice be heard.  Pardon the pun but if you are in a wheelchair it is time to stand up and fight for your rights as Americans.  Vote every chance you get and stop being invisible.