Gov. Tony Evers has designated Sept. 11–15 as Disability Voting Rights Week, according to a Governor’s Proclamation signed Sept 5.
“Making voting accessible for people of all abilities,” the proclamation said, “…is vital to protecting the voting rights of all Americans and ensuring the success of democracy nationwide.”
The proclamation cited accessibility issues and the threat of disenfranchisement voters in calling for the advancement of disability rights. Despite their interest in the public process, voters with disabilities have a hard time exerting their influence legislatively due to inaccessibility to the polls, according to the proclamation.
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The turnout gap between disabled and nondisabled voters in Wisconsin during the 2022 elections was 11.7%, according to Wisconsin Disability Coalition.
The proclamation identified polling places, voting machines, transportation, voter registration and absentee ballots as areas that could be supported with further accommodations for voters with disabilities.
A voting listening session was hosted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western and Eastern Districts of Wisconsin and the Department of Justice’s Disability Rights Section Sept. 11 to share experiences of barriers individuals with disabilities have faced during the voting process.
In addition to the state of Wisconsin, disability rights organizations such as the Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition, Disability Rights Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities join in the designation of Disability Voting Rights Week.
Anna Anderson, the voting rights coordinator at Disability Rights Wisconsin, said a lack of information acts a barrier for voters with disabilities.
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“[We’re] making sure that people that have disabilities know their rights,” Anderson said. “We’ve definitely run into situations where somebody needed to vote in a way that was legal, like curbside voting. That’s one thing that is legal and were turned away by the clerks”.
As part of Disability Rights Week, Disability Rights Wisconsin has created a voting rights toolkit that includes educational materials about state laws, voting equipment and guardianship, intended for voters with disabilities.
Budgets and legislation can also place barriers between voters with disabilities and voting rights, according to the Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition’s Budget and Policy Recommendations.
Some of the measures in the brief include allocating funding to improve transportation for voters with disabilities, requiring poll workers complete training relating to disability content and updates to photo ID requirements.
