PWDs May Be a Force in 2010 Elections
By Susan Cohen 
According to 2008 statistics, there were 54 million
persons with disabilities in the United States. That is a lot of potential
political power -- power that can be used to keep in office those who have
served them well and vote out those who have not been supportive.
The 2010 elections are right around the corner, and the
stakes are very high. All the seats for governor, Congress and state Senate and
Assembly are up for grabs. A change of governor or the ruling party could
jeopardize the quality of services a voter with a disability will receive for a
decade or more. In addition, districts could be redrawn along political lines
(gerrymandering).
According to a press release from the American Association
of People with Disabilities (AAPD), a study by researchers at Rutgers
University found that voter turnout among persons with disabilities (PWDs) rose
significantly in the 2008 presidential election. The study, by professors Lisa
Schur and Douglas Kruse of the university’s School of Management and Labor
Relations, found that14.7 million Americans with disabilities voted in the
election, compared with 10.9 million in the 2000 presidential election.
According to Kruse and Schur, the PWD turnout was only 7
percentage points lower than that of people without disabilities in the
November 2008 election. Among the voting-eligible population (citizens age 18
or older), 57.3 percent of PWDs voted, compared with 64.5 percent of people
without disabilities.
According to Andrew Frank Ongoy of Disability Rights
Montana: “For the first time in U.S. history all voters can vote in their
polling place and be able to vote on an accessible voting system independently
and privately. This is wonderful and it is as it should be.”
This is in a large part due to the implementation of the
federal Help America Vote Act of 2002, or HAVA. According to Wikipedia, HAVA
mandates that all states and localities upgrade many aspects of their election
procedures, including their voting machines, registration processes and
poll-worker training. It also mandates that all voters, regardless of
disability, must be able to vote independently and privately.
According to the report, eligible voters do not vote
because:
- They believe that their votes do not matter.
- They don't feel politically included.
- They have difficulty getting to the polls
- They have medical issues.
According to Brad Williams, executive director of the New
York State Independent Living Council, many of the county Boards of Elections
in New York are not reaching out to and educating PWDs about their voting
options.
“Many New York voters with disabilities still do not
know that their polling places are accessible and that there is new voting
equipment that is accessible,” he said. "Therefore, many continue to
either vote absentee or not at all. There are federal HAVA grant funds
available, and they are not being used for this purpose.”
Experts say that to increase voter participation,
disability organizations need to increase efforts to educate and motivate
voters in a nonpartisan manner, county Boards of Elections need to do more
disability education and outreach regarding the availability of new voting
equipment, and those running for office need to target their campaigns to
voters with disabilities.
There are at least two groups that have accomplished the
latter objectives.
The Disability Vote Project, one of the AAPD's most
nationally recognized programs, works in a nonpartisan manner to eliminate
barriers to voting and, in close collaboration with coalition partners in 13
states around the country, to increase political participation for individuals
with disabilities.
In Columbia County, N.Y., the county Board of Elections
conducted an extensive voter education and poll-worker training campaign that
led to more people using the accessible voting equipment than any other county
in the state, as it relates to its total voting population.
“While the voting numbers among persons with
disabilities in 2008 indicates that they continue to face barriers in
registration and voting, the fact that 14.7 million people voted shows they
play an important part in the political process,” said Shur, the Rutgers
University professor.
Because of their vast numbers, "people with disabilities
are the sleeping giants of American politics," said Jim Dixon, Disability Vote
Project director for AAPD. "Wake us up and we can change the face of history."
As director of Voting Access Solutions, Susan Cohen
conducts disability awareness and nonpartisan voter education training seminars
nationwide. She can be contacted at
votingaccesssolutions@gmail.com.
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