38.3 Million Voters -The Power of the Disability Vote

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 20:17:04 -0400
access, accessibility, ada, assistance, ballot, candidate, commission, disability, election, issue, maryland, virginia, voting

This is an update from yesterday's post, and includes additional information.

In-person elections happen on November 8, 2022, but early voting has already begun. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) covers voting, so polling places should be accessible and offer support if needed due to disability. For more information on the ADA and voters with disabilities, please visit the ADA website on voting linked here.

In this linked article, Social Security outlines how to support Voters with Disabilities Participate in the Democratic Process via the Election Assistance Commission.

You can call 866-Our-VOTE - a non-profit Election Protection group - to speak to people about voting questions and get ideas on assistance. State election websites also have a menu item for "accessible voting". For example, here is the state of Maryland's webpage for Voters with Disabilities.

Also, the Center for Democracy and Civic Life has Voter Information posted here for Maryland and all other states. UMBC has a ballot collection box on our accessible campus in The Commons (available until 8p on Election Day 11/8) - check your Official Election Mailing, or online for the polling place/option that works best for you.

Voting in Maryland - How to register, find your polling location, etc.

Want to know more about candidates in the context of disability - RespectAbility.Org sends out a detailed questionnaire to candidates - the 2022 RespectAbility.org Maryland Voter Guide is linked here. Other states/responses are also within their website.

Voting in Virginia

https://www.elections.virginia.gov/

The ARC of Northern Virginia had a forum with Congressional candidates to discern where they stand on disability issues in August which can be viewed at https://thearcofnova.org/events/2022-meet-the-candidates-forums/.

Additional campus-based resources for people with disabilities and their allies include:

Student Disability Services

Accessibility & Disability Services

Report an Accessibility Concern Online Form.