Getting Americans with Disabilities Out to Vote
Note: In recent years, much of the disability community has come around to use identity-first language in order to emphasize the immovable nature of their identity as a disabled person. While this is an ever-changing topic of discussion within the community, some people with disabilities prefer to use person-first language, recognizing that they are, above all, a human and that their disability does not define them. Therefore, in this post, both terms may be used interchangeably.
Did you know that 60 percent of polling places in the United States are considered inaccessible to voters in some way? According to the study conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, these polling places failed to remedy certain features of the voting site that could be considered impediments to voters who use wheelchairs. The report found that the most common of these features were steep ramps to the building, lack of signs indicating accessible paths, and parking and path surfaces in poor condition. And these are just barriers for voters with physical disabilities. For voters that might have visual, auditory, and cognitive impairments, baked into the Act of voting is an inherent difficulty that exists with any form of voting. Often, voters with disabilities in any setting, whether at the polling place or in the comfort of their own home, require additional help marking and filling out their ballot.
Disabled voters are already less likely to turn out to vote than voters without disabilities, a turnout gap that has persisted in all recent major elections. Couple the barriers that disabled voters already face in casting their ballot with the barrage of anti-voting legislation popping up in state houses across the country, and you have yourself a recipe for disaster. At least 35 million voting-age people with disabilities live in the U.S. — enough to swing an election on any level. It is due time to stop treating this community as an afterthought at the polls and ensure that their seat at the table is guaranteed without impediment.
As an organization that literally provides the wheels of democracy, Rideshare2Vote offers free rides to and from the polls for voters both with and without disabilities. Better yet, we are the only organization of its kind that offers wheelchair-accessible rides in every election that we service. Most recently, as one of our first rides in the State of Ohio in the lead-up to the special election primary on August 3rd, Rideshare2Vote dispatched a wheelchair-accessible ride to take 84-year-old Barbara Stewart to and from the polls. Ms. Stewart could not bring herself to the polls and didn’t have confidence in vote-by-mail, so she was surprised by the ease with which she scheduled a ride and the hospitality and assistance offered to her by Michael Substelny, one of Rideshare’s volunteer drivers.
As evidenced by the assistance offered by Mr. Substelny during his ride, not only do our volunteer drivers physically transport voters to the polls, but they also act as the voter’s very own advocate if they are unable to navigate the process themselves as permitted by state law. This includes voters with visual, auditory, and cognitive impairments and physically disabled voters that use wheelchairs or who need assistance walking.
This year’s anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act comes at due time for us to reckon with the glaring disparities in voter turnout within the disabled community. As an organization, Rideshare2Vote is committed to branching out as far as we can across the country to ensure that voters of all walks of life can exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote. These disparities are troubling but hope to eliminate them exists wherever an organization like Rideshare2Vote operates.
by Anthony Shelley
