Putting In My 2¢ Worth: Voting With A Disability
There’s many reasons why I’m beyond proud to be an american. While we do have our problems, we are also blessed with great opportunities and rights that people in a lot of other countries can only dare to dream of having. We can speak freely and openly about policies that affect us, without fear of retaliation or retribution, we can say whether we like or dislike anyone in a political office, without those same fears, and, we can vote. We can choose who we put in office at the local, state, and federal levels of government. For minorities, such as women and people with disabilities, this was not always the case. Women in America were able to vote in 1920. For people with disabilities, their rights were not cemented until 2002, when the Help America Vote Act or HAVA. was passed. One of the things that this bill mandated was that voting be made accessible for people with disabilities. It also required that there be at least one accessible voting machine in every polling place. Or, pollworkers needed to help people with disabilities.
This law was advocated for after the presidential election in 2000, with Florida being one of the states in the middle of it. During that election, people with disabilities faced many challenges, including having to go to different polling places because their polling place either didn’t have accessible machines, or the machine was not working, or they had to vote using the paper ballot and poke holes in the chads. Various disability advocacy organizations including the NFB. fought for reform. Thankfully, although there are still issues, we have moved past those days. I want to take the time to share my voting experience and some tips that I have that have worked for me, when I’ve voted in the past, as well as some resources that others may find helpful. I realize that every county in Ohio runs their elections differently, and, I know that everyone’s voting experience will be different. With that in mind, I’m also curious to hear other disabled voters experiences, whether they’ve voted in person, done early voting or done absentee voting, as well as any tips that you think others will find helpful. I for one would rather vote in person, because I can do it independently, and, I don’t have to rely on anyone for help filling out my ballot, which is very important to me. I just need someone to drive me to and from the polls, help me fill out the paperwork when I go in to cast my ballot, and get me to where the accessible voting machine is set up, find the headphones, and, get me to the scanner when my ballot prints out
It is not my intent to make this entry political in any way, shape or form. Nor am I trying to shame anyone for having a certain viewpoint or opinion. The fact that we have differing opinions, beliefs, etc is one of the things that makes this country such a great place to live! All I’m trying to do is share my voting experiences, and, some tips that I have used, and found helpful.
To preface this, I want to say that I live in a small rurral county, and, have had a great experience when going in and casting my ballot. However, I have heard of larger counties not doing as great a job as smaller counties. Why this is the case is a mystery to me, but, I’d be interested in hearing others opinions and insights regarding this as well. I’d also be interested in hearing what was done to remedy the situation, or if it was even resolved at all.
1. Take advantage of early voting
We do this when voting for a number of reasons. First off, there’s no line all the times we went in there. This could be useful for people who can’t stand for long periods of time for example. The reason I like it is that I can take my time voting. I use the accessible voting machine, so, I have to listen to the ballot being read to me and then go through the options until I find the desired one, and select it. It usually takes about an hour. I remember when we had a voting machine that used a numeric keypad, and you had to place it on a magnet. That took a little longer to do. But, when I go in early, it’s quiet, and I don’t feel rushed and can take my time. The other main reason we do it, is that we go to the Board Of Elections Office. I’ll get into more detail in tip 2 on why I recommend this. However, they are only open for voting during the early voting period.
2. Go to your board of elections to cast your vote
This is very important for several reasons. For one, I know there will be an accessible voting machine there. Plus, in my experience, the workers are trained on how to set it up so that I can get the audio. I usually will either ask, “Can I have the audio please? Thank you so much!” or, politely remind them that I need the audio. I do something similar to this in other areas of my life. One of the other reasons I go here to do early voting, is because if and when tech gremlins decide to invade and wreak havoc, there’s a tech on sight that can do their magic, and get rid of the tech gremlins. I can remember a couple instances, where we had to call them over. Plus, in my county, every year they change our polling place, which is quite annoying! Also, as I’ve stated before, there’s no rush, and, in my experience, there’s never been a line.
3. If your county has changed voting machines, go and see how they work if possible.
I went through this at my county. After the previous presidential election, my county changed voting machines. The ones we had were a numeric keypad, and you had to remember which key did what. For example the 4 and 6 keys moved you between the candidates, and, the 5 key was your select button. You had to put the machine on this magnet, and, it was very finicky. If it was not on the magnet just right, it would not work! I can recall one instance where we had to have the tech that was on sight come over and help. We did get it to work, and I was able to cast my ballot without further issues.
A few years ago, my county purchased newer voting machines. There was news coverage in my area about this, and, they said the machines would be ADA. compliant. They also said they’d be holding a mock election to test the machines out, and, invited people to come check them out, and learn how the new machines worked. Fearing that there’d be issues with accessibility, I went to the mock election. There, the workers were very helpful, and they even had the on sight tech help me and explain to me how the machine worked. I still remember feeling the machine and the buttons, and realizing that there was braille on it. I remember being so excited that I said, “Yay! There’s braille on this!” and the tech was chuckling and saying “I guess you love the braille.”
Not only did the machine have braille on it telling you what the buttons were, but, the buttons were shaped differently! I cast my vote, and, sent it to the printer, and, to my surprise, I had my own printer! Before, I had to send it to the same printer that everyone else’s ballots were printed, so, I had to have someone help me to the printer, and the scanner. Nowadays, I only need help getting to the scanner, where I put my ballot in, and it gets dropped into a bookbag-style bag. The workers at my elections office were nice, thorough, patient, and knowledgeable, and answered my questions.
My advice to anyone, is to attend the mock elections if your county gets or is getting new voting machines. It helps spot problems beforehand, and, will allow for time to resolve them before an actual election.
When I used the machine, they actually took down the little window in their area, because they were curious to see how it would work. Which, I didn’t mind at all.
It’s a good idea to know where your Board Of Elections office is, and their contact information.
4. Have someone go with you that you trust, if possible.
When I go to vote, I have a family member go with me. It works out, because, we live in the same house, so, when I get situated at the voting machine, she would go and cast her ballot. Then, when I was done, and our ballots were printed out, we’d go to the scanner and deposit our ballots there. Plus, they help fill out the form that you have to fill out when you vote, and date it. My board of elections is ok with this, since I sign it. When I registered, they were ok with my family member filling out the form, and dating it, as long I signed it, which, I did. I’d also suggest if you can, take someone else that you trust along with you and who ever you go with, so that if the person you usually go with can’t do it, for whatever reason, you have a backup. I also realize that this is not always possible, and if you ever need to, you can have a pollworker help you. You’re supposed to have 2 pollworkers help you, one from each political party.
5. Know what’s on your ballot.
In my experience, I’ve had to have someone read the ballot and type up what the issues and candidates are, because the sample ballot is in PDF. format, and inaccessible. Therefore, I couldn’t read it, using VoiceOver, which is the screenreader that I use, and couldn’t read it on my braille display.
However, I recently heard about an app that’s free, called Ohio Voter Info. It is available on the Apple App Store, and Google Play.
When you install the app, you put in your name, and select the county from the spinner to set it up. From there, you can find your polling place, and, your sample ballot. To do this, find and activate the view sample ballot button. From there, you can choose from a list of sample ballots. Once you have the one you want, you will also find a button that lets you view an accessible ballot. Keep in mind that the ballot for this election may or may not be up yet. However, I was able to view the ballot from the primary election. If your county is not listed, you can contact your County Board of elections office and request that they have their information be added to the app. You can even choose what party ballot you want as well as your municipality. This app does work with VoiceOver, but, there are some unlabeled buttons, and, getting it to work can be a little finicky, but, it is doable.
Here are the links to get it.
To get it on IOS. App Store you can go here:
Ohio Voter Info on the App Store (apple.com)
To get it on Google Play, you can go here:
Ohio Voter Information – Apps on Google Play
6. Do your research.
This applies whether you’re a disabled voter or not. It’s always good to do research on all candidates and issues. When I go to vote, it’s a several day process. Because I dive deep into researching the candidates, and issues. I will use everything from non-partisan sites such as On The Issues, which talks about some candidates stand on a wide variety of issues such as crime, and foreign policy. I will also sometimes use Ballotpedia for biographies on candidates, however, I’ll sometimes go to their social media (mainly Facebook) pages. I also sometimes look at newspaper articles, depending on the content. Also, I let past experience speak for itself too.
I also listen to any debates or interviews that I can. I’d also try and see if you can find audio interviews on The Sound Of Ideas, which is an NPR. program. You can go to:
Ideastream Public Media Home | Ideastream Public Media
One time, during mid-term elections, I found interviews of candidates that were running for state office in my district, and listened to them.
Also, another thing that might be helpful especially for the local issues and candidates, is if there’s a Meet The Candidates Night being broadcasted. There’s 2 local radio stations that cover my area. The city I live in has a local radio station, and there’s also a radio station that covers my county. Meet the candidates nights have been broadcasted on both of those in the past, and, I’ll listen to them. During those programs, the facilitators/moderators will ask questions and give each candidate a set time limit to respond. Sometimes, the candidates responses to the questions, and how they are, and if they show up, have factored into my decision.
Here’s an example of what I type into Google when doing research on a candidate:
John Smith Ballotpedi
Or, let’s say that I want to know John Smith’s stance on an issue, here’s what I would type into Google:
John Smith crime OnTheIssues
You can also put:
ontheissues.org
7. If you don’t know what an issue is, or candidate, skip it.
I say this because, the first time I voted, my ballot had the candidates that it was supposed to have. However, the issues that came up were for another municipality. So, I skipped them. It has not happened since then.
8. Know your rights as a disabled voter.
This applies to any and all systems and agencies. If you don’t know your rights, the system will chew you up and spit you out. This will come in handy, especially if you have issues on Election Day, or during early voting. Although I will say, that I cannot say enough good things about my county board of elections.
So don’t be afraid to go and cast your ballot, and put your 2¢ worth in!
RESOURCES
Here are some resources that may be of help.
1. Disability Rights Ohio will have a voter hotline open on Election Day to resolve issues and answer questions. You can call:
(800) 282-9181
2. The National Federation Of The Blind has put together some voter resources at:
Voting Resources | National Federation of the Blind (nfb.org
On this page, you will find the following:
• Ballot Marking Device Demonstration
• Election Information on NFB-NEWSLINE®
• Resources by State
3. Here is a page from the Ohio Secretary Of State that’s devoted to voters with disabilities. You will also find links for other things, including special circumstances.
Voters with Disabilities – Ohio Secretary of State (ohiosos.gov)
4. If you have the app Be My Eyes, available for IOS. Android, and Windows, there is a section called Specialized Help. In this section, are various companies and organizations that you can call and get help with their products or services.
Ohio Advocacy Heartbeat 