To honor Disability Voting Rights Week, held Sept. 12 to Sept. 16, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and others held a press conference outside of City Hall to celebrate Madison’s disabled voters and showcase accessible voting technology Sept. 15.
Despite accommodations, the barriers faced by disabled voters are both pervasive and persistent, executive director of the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired Denise Jess said at the press conference.
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If all 38 million U.S. citizens with disabilities registered to vote, they would compose over 15% of the electorate, Rhodes-Conway said.
“However, historically there have been significant gaps in voter turnout for people with disabilities,” Rhodes-Conway said. “All too often this is due to lack of access.”
The disabled community must be afforded equitable voting access to ensure they can participate in our democracy, which is a cause the City of Madison is dedicated to, Rhodes-Conway said.
A clerk worker then explained the various ways the city accommodates disabled voters, including curbside voting, braille ballots and exemptions for certain parts of the voting process.
The City of Madison has been working with the Wisconsin Election Commission to use its procedures as a blueprint for other communities, the worker said.
Rhodes-Conway also praised the ruling in Carey v. Wisconsin Election Commission, which recently overturned the WEC’s ban on ballot-return assistance for disabled voters.
Jess urged members of the disabled community to make a plan to vote in advance for the Nov. 8 election and every other upcoming election.
“We have both the right and the responsibility to make the critical decisions about who is representing us and making key decisions about the quality of our lives,” Jess said.
