I Vote Because…
This week (July 13–17, 2020) is National Disability Voter Registration Week as a part of the REV UP Campaign. With an estimated 35 million people with disabilities eligible to vote in 2020, disabled people hold power. Add in our family members and this number almost doubles. In 2018, voters with disabilities surged 8.5 percentage points, with 14.3 million people with disabilities voting. With COVID-19 and the pending budgetary cuts in all levels of government, it is vital that our voices be heard. It is also vital that those running for office take our vote seriously and do the work that has not been done to include all people in their platforms and campaigns.
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is a nonpartisan initiative that is composed of state and national coalitions that work to advance the Disability Vote. Their get out the vote campaign has three main parts to disabled people using their power: Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power! REV UP!
Be careful to not assume that all disabled people can vote. There are still many archaic laws on the books that restrict voting rights. Some steps to ensure a “fair” election include ableist beliefs that are not equally applied to those without a status of “other” (the process where someone is classified as “not one of us” or “different” by another). So if you are unsure if you are eligible, check with your local Center for Independent Living or your county’s Registrar of Voters.
For many, registration in California is fairly easy. Some can automatically register through many state programs, including when you renew your driver’s license. Online registration is also available on the California Secretary of State website. The registration deadline to receive a vote-by-mail ballot is October 27, 2020. (For California Eligibility requirements, go here.) For other states, please check the When We All Vote website.
Voter education is a bit more complex. Politicians and policy speak are often at such a level that it is tiring to process especially when life is already complex. The last thing I want to do is process a 100-page document of policy initiatives and platforms. Luckily, there are organizations, like AAPD and Vote-411 that may help break things down. Many nonpartisan organizations still only represent the party duopoly (Democrats and Republicans). As a registered Green Party member, I have found more of my beliefs represented in the Green Party Platform and a greater willingness to learn beyond the corporate interests that are often presented with the two sides that currently dominate in US Politics.
Also, with so many remote events , there will be opportunities to learn more in a variety of ways. (Now, can we just ask people to ensure they use ASL interpreters and CART technology to close-caption what they present?)
When politicians fail to include us and policy work leaves us behind, it is hard to not feel disillusioned and disenfranchised. But together, we can do a lot, even if we do not agree on what candidate to vote for or what policy is right or wrong. Dialogue sometimes is the best pathway to finding solutions. You might be surprised who else has the same question you do or another one that you are even more qualified to help them answer. My mother often asks me on those measures she doesn’t fully understand.
This leaves the last point of Vote! As many of us disabled people know, this also is not easy. The physical and structural barriers to voting are a blog series on their own. From media blocking disabled parking slots at polling places, to accessible ballots, to the complacency of those working the polls, there are many barriers yet to be addressed. One year, a local “Get Out the Vote” event focused on accessibility, failed to include disability accessibility in their plans.
I vote because my life depends upon it and together we can use our power.
