Disabled voters struggle with an inaccessible system
In 2020, a record of 38.3 million people with disabilities are eligible to vote in the United States general election, nearly 20 percent more than in 2008. According to Rutgers University experts, they represent nearly one sixth of the total electorate.
The 2020 election is the first presidential election of COVID-19, making voting even more challenging for people with disabilities.
As officials across the country continue to count incoming mail-in ballots, disabled Americans increasingly claim that they are being excluded from the voting process. COVID-19 setbacks and the Trump administration’s deliberate undermining of mail-in voting and the U.S. Postal Service has only increased fears that disabled votes aren’t being counted.
The number of disabled voters in the U.S. includes 21.3 million eligible voters with mobility disabilities, 13.1 million with cognitive disabilities, 11.6 million with hearing disabilities, and 7 million with visual disabilities. Many voters fall into multiple categories.
As the country prepared for the historical presidential election, Americans chose whether or not to put their ballots into the underfunded mail system, or risk exposure to COVID-19 by voting in person. Both options presented further setbacks for voters with disabilities.
The dramatic increase in use of mail-in ballots seems ideal for voters with certain disabilities. However, President Donald Trump’s recent undermining of the U.S. Postal Service and spreading misinformation on mail-in election fraud has raised distrust in an already flawed system.
Even after November 3, many voters’ ballots haven’t made it to polling locations, as the postal system is overwhelmed with higher volumes and lack of funding. Many of these voters are disabled and physically cannot go to polls, meaning they solely rely on mail-in voting for representation.
Voters with disabilities who could go to polling locations also struggled between physically casting their votes or turning to absentee or mail-in ballots, two choices that some considered inaccessible options.
Federal law requires accessible equipment for voting to be available at polling places, but not at home. Electronic voting systems that allow disabled voters to cast their ballots at home are available in only certain states. While voters with disabilities have the option to go to polling locations, some voters with disabilities report feeling reluctant to vote in person out of fear of contracting COVID-19. Even prior to the pandemic, a good number of polling stations weren’t completely accessible, even though they’re required to accommodate disabled voters under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Conversations on voter accessibility have centered on mail-in voting amid COVID-19, as it has proved to be reliable for disabled voters in previous elections. Research from Rutgers University shows higher turnout among voters with disabilities when states implement no-excuse absentee voting.
Unfortunately, many people with disabilities cannot mark a paper ballot without assistance, normally relying on special voting machines at polling stations. Americans with multiple disabilities face additional challenges, especially when both marking a mail-in ballot and going to the polls aren’t viable options.
An onslaught of preexisting inaccessibility has only made voting more difficult for Americans with disabilities amid COVID-19 election setbacks. Polling locations and at-home voting options that are accessible to all voters is essential for a free and fair election. Voters with disabilities must be accommodated. If they cannot vote in ways that consider their needs, millions of voters will potentially be disenfranchised.
