Posted on July 30, 2024

By Elizabeth Sites, CQL Director of Organizational Excellence

The next major election in the United States will occur on November 5, 2024. Stacey Ranieri, a self-advocate from New York, says that voting is important to her “because it helps choose the leaders of your community and government. These people make decisions for leaders and people in the community.” She believes that voting is especially important for people with disabilities because “their vote helps make the changes.”

In this Capstone, we’re sharing some impactful data about the voting experiences of people with disabilities. Then, we list legislation that protects and promotes the voting rights of people with disabilities. Our partners from Accord, a provider organization located in Minnesota, also describe their efforts to support advocacy and voting rights. And finally, we detail numerous tips and guidance that agencies can use to help people learn about candidates, register to vote, get to their polling place, and ensure their voices are heard!

Data Insights Into Voting

Personal Outcome Measures^® (POM) data shows that 64.1% of people exercised their right to vote (2023). Among people denied the right to vote, only 52% received adequate due process (2023). Additionally, the following groups of people were less likely to exercise their right to vote:

• For every 1-year increase in age, people were 1.01 times less likely to exercise their right to vote.
• People who primarily communicated through facial/body expressions were 3.29 times less likely to exercise their right to vote than people who primarily communicated through verbal/spoken language
• Compared to people with independent decision-making, people with assisted decision-making were 1.37 times less likely to exercise their right to vote, people with full/plenary guardianship 1.91 times less likely to exercise their right to vote, and other forms of guardianship 3.55 times less likely.
• People with comprehensive behavior support needs were 1.37 times less likely to exercise their right to vote than people without these support needs.
• Autistic people were 1.36 times less likely to exercise their right to vote than non-autistic people.

Along with what we find through Personal Outcome Measures® data, a recent Disability Scoop article shares that “While voting accessibility has increased in recent decades, a report released in April from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and Rutgers University found that people with disabilities were more than three times as likely as others to report voting difficulties in 2022. As a result, people with disabilities remain less likely to vote.”

Voting Rights, Legislation, and People With Disabilities

The right to vote, or suffrage, is seen as one of the most fundamental rights in the United States. But for much of American history, the right to vote largely left out nonwhite men and women. Between 1820 and 1850, voting rights in the United States began undergoing significant changes that continue to this day. The Carnegie Corporation of New York offers a short history of voting rights. This timeline provides information on how and when African Americans, women, and Native Americans were granted the right to vote.

For people with disabilities, there is still a struggle to exercise their right to vote even though there have been some Federal laws enacted that safeguard the voting rights of people with disabilities, such as:

1965 – Voting Rights Act (VRA)

The Voting Rights Act (VRA) set out to protect voting rights by eliminating discriminatory practices, such as literacy tests and educational requirements, as a prerequisite for people to participate in elections. Section 208, which was added to the VRA in 1982, helps ensure that people with disabilities receive accommodations if they need assistance with voting. 

1984 – Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act

With the passage of the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (VAEHA) in 1984, polling places for federal elections were required to be physically accessible for people with disabilities and older adults. It also stipulates that states must offer assistive technology for people to both register and vote in federal elections.

1990 – Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

There are a number of voting and election related components within the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). They cover different areas like using election-related websites, registering to vote, accessing polling places, casting ballots, and more. They all aim to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to exercise civic engagement and participate in the voting process, whether it’s a local, state, or federal election.

1993 – National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)

The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) was signed into law in 1993. It improves practices involving how people register to vote, such as expanding the methods people can use to register, as well as how people can maintain their voter registration. Section 7 of the NVRA specifies that any state office that primarily provides services for people with disabilities, must also offer options for voter registration.

2002 – Help America Vote Act (HAVA)

Through the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), standards were established so that voters with disabilities have improved access to polling places and voting systems in federal elections. It also protects privacy and promotes independence when voters with disabilities use voting systems. In addition, the act helps provide education and training for election officials and polling place workers involving the rights of voters with disabilities and guidance for supporting those voting rights.

The US Election Assistance Commission offers a Federal Voting Rights Card that states that voters with a disability have the right to: 

1. “Vote privately and independently
2. Have an accessible polling place with voting machines for voters with disabilities
3. You may request your local election officials to tell you about any voting aids, voting assistance, and absentee ballot procedures that are available. 
4. You may ether seek assistance from workers at the polling place who have been trained to use the accessible voting machine, OR       
5. Bring someone to help you vote”

Supporting People To Vote

There are a number of ways that people can support those with disabilities exercise their right to vote, as well as get involved in civic engagement: 

1. Register to vote. Information on how to do this, as well as voter identification requirements can be found at vote.gov.
2. Provide people with disabilities understandable voter education, such as the voter education toolkit from SABE USA, resources from The Arc, or this toolkit from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN).
3. Help people learn about the candidates and the issues on your local ballot – ensuring a non-partisan approach. Self-advocate Stacey Ranieri says that “you can go online and search for the candidates, find out the issues on the local news and that the candidates hold community events.”
4. Talk with poll workers and/or local leaders to understand local voting processes such as polling locations, accessibility, early voting, etc.
5. Provide transportation to polling locations and assistance, as needed, with voting machines.
6. Encourage family members and guardians to support their loved ones. Some parents, family members or guardians may be hesitant to see their loved ones vote because they may not think they could understand the process. There is a Parent to Parent Voting video where parents share why and how they support their loved ones with a disability to vote.
7. Get involved in the disability vote through organizations such as the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and its REV UP Voting Campaign.
8. Remind others to vote, spread the word on social media encouraging others to vote, help with someone’s campaign, attend local city council meetings, send letters to local election officials/polling volunteers thanking them for their work. Also, with required training, you can become a poll worker yourself!

Advocacy & Voting At Accord

By Josephine Myers-Kuykindall, Accord

Advocacy at Accord is a collaborative effort that comprehensively integrates advocacy goals into the fabric of Accord’s mission, vision, values, and purpose. Accord Advocacy starts with self-advocacy in person-centered planning and extends to legislative action, voting, and all areas of advocacy. Lisa Borucki Vukelich, a person-supported by Accord, echoes this concept by saying, “Advocacy, first is self-advocacy. People don’t even realize that they can speak up for themselves if they’ve been treated as less than.”

Involving Various Stakeholders

Accord believes that advocacy is most effective when directed by people-supported, at the table in partnership with diverse stakeholders. These stakeholders, who value social justice for all citizens, play a crucial role in executing meaningful action – especially in the area of voting. This action is carried out by people with physical and intellectual disabilities and Accord staff in partnership with natural supports, community partners, local, state, and federal legislative representatives, and other stakeholders, such as CQL.

Rights Education And Advocacy

Accord’s advocacy is built on Accord’s values of listening, learning, and leading. Accord listens to people-supported to learn what legislative and social priorities are essential to shaping Accord’s advocacy education and work. Accord leads with action and models the behavior. Accord allocates annual paid time off for staff to volunteer at their organization of choice. The Accord CEO, Rita Wiersma, models the importance of legislative action by using her allocation to take people-supported to the polls.

Accord’s educational outreach focuses on the history of disabilities and ableism, which is crucial for promoting understanding and empathy for people-supported and the intersection between all historically marginalized people. It also highlights the critical role that people-supported play in our community and society’s responsibility to protect the comprehensive rights of all citizens, particularly legislative rights. It means: 

• Partnership with diverse stakeholders through an advisory committee to ensure awareness that minimizes gaps in advocacy work and optimizes the number of people broadcasting and lobbying for improved quality of life of people supported. 
• Directly engaging emerging leaders and developing a track for roles from the frontline to executive leadership for people-supported and other historically marginalized people. 
• Providing resources through Accord-sponsored events to educate, support, and rally stakeholders to bring forth advocacy education and work around the comprehensive rights of people-supported.
• Directly engaging decision-makers at all levels, including state agencies and legislative representatives, in promoting, driving, and ensuring issues impacting people with physical and intellectual disabilities are top priorities for funding and legislative action.

Accord Advocacy In Practice

In practice, the Accord Advocacy model is the execution of a fall Accord-sponsored Advocacy open house built on top of emerging leader Elizabeth Israel’s Master of Social Work Advocacy Project. It is planned by Israel, the Accord DEIA council, marketing, and communications teams in partnership with the Accord Advocacy Committee with advice from CQL and the Minnesota Secretary of State. The open house includes education on:

• Extensive person-supported choice
• Overall rights education
• Potential economic exploitation
• Social determinants of health
• Anti-ableism
• Legislative engagement

Voting And Legislative Engagement At Accord

Leveraging the perspective of the people we support is key to increasing voting amongst people with disabilities. “Your voice matters no matter what… surround yourself with people who can encourage you to get more involved. If there is a bill that you have an interest in or maybe there’s something on the TV you want to know more about, you have every right to seek out different answers and opinions,” shares Lisa Borucki Vukelich, a person-supported by Accord. Our organization also leverages its network to invite legislators – from both parties, at all levels – to participate in a non-partisan capacity, providing education on the year-round engagement of legislative representatives, how to become a legislative representative at all levels, how to write a resolution, etc. 

Demystifying the voting process is another critical component to effectively supporting people with disabilities in exercising their right to vote. An example activity is an Accord mock election to help people understand what to expect from the voting process, from registration to going to the polls. This educational event stages an election environment and uses tools from other nonprofit organizations such as TurboVote, the MN Secretary of State, and the MN Council on Disability (Bill Tracker for Disability-related Legislation) to prepare, demystify, educate, and support people for effective participation in legislative advocacy through voting. Some of the goals of the mock election are to:

• Hear from people with disabilities who have effectively engaged in the legislative process.
• Identify voting locations, candidates, and important dates.
• Understand what a ballot looks like and how to complete it.
• Learn about candidates and their voting records.
• Understand what legislation is on the ballot.
• Verify people are properly registered to vote.
• Provide FAQs on:
  • How to register
  • How to absentee vote
  • Early voting
  • How to get to the polls
  • Sample Ballot
  • How to have an election representative meet you outside for curbside voting
  • How to leverage paid time off to support getting people-supported, families, and supports to the polls.

A Call-To-Action Before Election Day

There are many reasons for people with disabilities to exercise their right to vote, and they are all the same as the reasons why any citizen should vote. Additionally, people with disabilities should be encouraged to self-advocate for their rights in all aspects of their life, not just voting. When asked for one piece of advice she wants to share with other people with disabilities about voting, Stacey Ranieri said “just be yourself and always know that if you need help that it is okay to ask for help.”

To best help people get involved in voting, don’t wait for people to ask. Let’s be proactive in the discovery of people’s preferences and needs to exercise this extremely important right. Through the Three E’s of education, experience, and exposure, people with disabilities can have the influence they deserve in the laws that affect them.

Additional Resources

• League of Women Voters
• Staying Nonpartisan: Permissible Election Activities Checklist
• Resources for Voters with Disabilities
• 5 Factors Affecting Voting Rights
• Exercising Voting Rights: People With Disabilities
• Promoting the Civic Engagement of People with IDD

References

• Diament, M. (2024, May 6). Justice Department warns states not to disenfranchise voters with disabilities. Disability Scoop. https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2024/05/06/justice-department-warns-states-not-to-disenfranchise-voters-with-disabilities/30866/
• EAC. (n.d.). Your Federal Voting Rights. Voting Accessibility. https://eac.gov/sites/default/files/eac_assets/1/28/Your Federal Voting Rights Brochure Braille Final.pdf