Summary
This week, from September 9 to 13, is Disability Voting Rights Week! This is a national, nonpartisan initiative that builds the power of the disability vote and calls attention to voting rights.
The Disability Vote Coalition works on different voting rights issues to make sure people with disabilities are able to vote. These issues can be getting and returning absentee ballots, being able to go into your polling place, making sure that there are accessible voting systems, and voting in residential facilities.
About Disability Voting Rights Week
This week from September 9 to 13 is Disability Voting Rights Week, a national, nonpartisan initiative to build the power of the disability vote and increase awareness of voting rights. The Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition (DVC) and our partners work year-round to educate voters with disabilities and our communities about voting rights and accessibility and increase participation in the electoral process.
Read our press release below for more information.
Press Release: Wisconsin Celebrates Disability Voting Rights Week
Read this full press release as an accessible PDF document here.
For Immediate Release: September 9, 2024
Contact: Anna Anderson, anna.anderson@drwi.org, 608-308-2635; Jennifer Neugart, jennifer.neugart@wisconsin.gov, 608-266-7707
September 9 to 13 is Disability Voting Rights Week, a national, nonpartisan initiative to build the power of the disability vote and increase awareness of voting rights. The Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition (DVC) and our partners work year-round to educate voters with disabilities and our communities about voting rights and accessibility and increase participation in the electoral process.
It is estimated that over one million Wisconsin adults have a disability; while implementation of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) has helped address many barriers for voters with disabilities in recent years, more can and needs to be done to ensure equal access to the ballot for Wisconsin voters with disabilities. Issues currently being worked on by the Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition include:
- Absentee ballot accessibility, including the right to absentee ballot return assistance, access to ballot dropboxes, and the implementation of an accessible absentee ballot for voters with print disabilities: DVC shares information with voters about how to request and return an absentee ballot, including the right to ballot return assistance for voters with disabilities; supports ballot dropboxes to help maximize accessibility for voters with disabilities to be able to cast their ballot; and advocates for the implementation of an accessible absentee ballot that can be delivered, completed, and returned electronically by voters with print disabilities.
- Polling place accessibility: DVC provides information and guidance to voters and election officials to ensure accessibility of polling places across Wisconsin; this includes participation of DVC members in the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s (WEC) Accessibility Advisory Committee and support for WEC’s polling place accessibility reviews.
- Accessible voting systems: HAVA requires all polling places to provide an accessible voting system; DVC educates voters on what to expect when they use these systems in their polling place, provides feedback on these systems to WEC and local election officials, and encourages voters without disabilities to utilize accessible voting systems.
- Voting in residential facilities: the voting rights of residents in Wisconsin’s nursing homes, adult family homes, community-based residential facilities, and residential care apartment complexes are no different than for any other Wisconsinite; DVC works with staff and residents of residential facilities to ensure awareness of these rights and the supports and assistance residents can access in the electoral process.
The Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition, its member organizations, and its partners will be celebrating Disability Voting Rights Week by hosting voter registration events, sharing messaging via social media and the DVC e-newsletter, and providing outreach and education at community events. DVC welcomes the opportunity to provide presentations, resources, and materials to interested groups; requests can be made to info@disabilityvote.org.
Resources:
- DVC 2024 Voter Toolkit
- DVC Absentee Voting in Wisconsin fact sheet
- DVC Residential Service Providers resources and fact sheet
- Guardianship and Voting (Disability Rights Wisconsin)
- Disability Rights Wisconsin Voter Hotline: Call 844-347-8683 / 844-DIS-VOTE or e-mail info@disabilityvote.org
The Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition is a non-partisan effort to help ensure full participation in the entire electoral process of voters with disabilities, including registering to vote, casting a vote, and accessing polling places. DVC is coordinated by Disability Rights Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities and includes people with disabilities and over 40 community organizations.
