“People with disabilities are still facing numerous barriers, whether it’s at the polling station, whether it’s filling out absentee ballots, or whether they’re even allowed to vote.”
In the United States, one in five eligible voters has a disability. To ensure their right to vote is protected, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that voter registration and voting be accessible. Despite this, there are still a lot of obstacles people with disabilities face in political participation.
These barriers are physical, logistical, technical and legal. An estimated 1.5 million adults are under legal guardianship nationwide and, according to local and state rules, many of these adults, despite wanting to participate in civic life, are not able to vote.
It is the duty of America’s democratic system to end this institutionalized discrimination against people with disabilities and focus on ensuring that all citizens are part of the democratic process.
Resources
Want to learn more about these barriers and how you can work with the disability community to eliminate them?
- Watch Voting Rights for All an event hosted by The Ford Foundation with disability justice leaders, Imani Barbarin, Michelle Bishop and Bianca Laureano. Learn about what is at stake in 2020, how disability organizations, communities and philanthropy can collaborate, and what long-term actions need to be taken to ensure people with disabilities of their fundamental right to vote.
- Listen to this podcast from the Disability Visibility Project, showcasing two voices from the disability community on what political participation means to them.
- Read this article from Pew Charitable Trusts outlining which states eliminate the right to vote for people under guardianship. And this article, which illustrates some of the ways in which voters with disabilities are blocked from the ballot box.
- Read a report from the Ruderman Family Foundation on Voting Accessibility for People with Disabilities.
- Explore a number of fact sheets from Rutgers University on Disability and Voter Turnout.
- Work with Alice Wong, who offers a range of research and consultation services centered on people with disabilities.
This piece is part of Disability Demands Justice, a dynamic, ever-evolving hub to deepen our understanding of how disability intersects with social justice.
