Disabled vets disenfranchised
How do Republicans ask Americans to die for the country, but deny veterans their freedom to vote?
“Wisconsin Supreme Court outlaws ballot drop boxes for elections. In a 4-3 ruling, the court’s conservative majority also said voters cannot have other people return their completed ballots in person to a clerk’s office.” (AP). Voting restrictions like removing drop boxes have a bigger effect on the disabled – American Assn of People With Disabilities
“I would have to find some way of putting my ballot in my teeth and carrying it to the clerk’s office.”– AP
How many people with disabilities live in your county? How do billionaires gets tax cuts and veterans have their healthcare cut? It all starts with voting. Deny a group their right to vote and they effectively have no political power. Check this map to see how Republicans make it harder for disabled vets and other underserved groups their right to vote.
Republicans make it hard for disabled vets to vote
Voting hurdles for the disabled
“Voters and state agencies in Alaska, New York and Alabama have also raised challenges to absentee voting programs that don’t provide accessible ballots for people with visual impairments or disabilities that make it difficult to fill out a print ballot privately. Advocacy groups in New York reached a settlement in April that requires the state elections board to create a program for disabled voters to fill out and print accessible online ballots.”
Absolutely ridiculous
“Wisconsin voters with disabilities expressed frustration at having to fight for equal voting rights when federal law already lays out specific provisions for accessibility. “This whole issue was absolutely ridiculous to start out with. It shouldn’t matter if you need assistance returning your ballot,” said Stacy Ellingen.
Ellingen, 37, has athetoid spastic cerebral palsy because of complications at birth. She lives in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and with no accessible transportation options, absentee voting is the only way she can cast a ballot. She said if it weren’t for the ruling handed down two weeks ago, she wouldn’t have been able to vote this fall. “I’m not going to risk having caregivers get in trouble for putting my ballot in the mailbox. Especially when we have such a caregiver shortage,” she said.” – AP
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The ADA gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications. – Adata
TakeAway: Veterans have paid for their right to vote in blood. Don’t let Republicans silence them with voting barriers.
Deepak
DemLabs
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Image credit: Jennifer Ditscheit from Pixabay
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Reposted from Democracy Labs with permission.
