Positive news emerged earlier this week when it was revealed that voters with disabilities experienced fewer access barriers to casting their ballot in the November 2020 presidential election than had been reported in previous electoral cycles.
Details were outlined In a report published jointly by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and Rutgers University.
The survey, which compared representative samples of voters with and without disabilities across a range of different impairments, found that amongst people with disabilities who voted in person, 18% reported difficulty in casting their ballot
This was down considerably from the 30% who reported issues in comparable research undertaken after the 2012 election.
Unsurprisingly, voters with disabilities experienced more issues than non-disabled voters. For example, in an election dominated by mail ballots, 5% of voters with disabilities flagged a difficulty in using a mail ballot, compared to just 2% of voters without disabilities.
Equally, the report’s authors acknowledge that up to 50% of the decrease in reported in-person voting issues could be ascribed to those with more severe disabilities choosing to vote by mail as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
There may be a bittersweet element to this. More widespread use of mail ballots, just like more flexibility around remote working practices, has been something disability campaigners have been demanding for many years.
In both cases, the powers that be seem to only have ceded more fully to these demands once the whole population experienced some form of disability due to the absence of herd immunity to Covid-19.
Regardless of how this upswing has been achieved, the news should be viewed as overwhelmingly positive but it would appear that members of certain sections of the disability community continue to be left behind.
“The people who experience the most difficulty are people with visual impairments and cognitive impairments, so there’s clearly work that needs to be done,” one of the report’s co-researchers Lisa Schur, co-director of the Program for Disability Research at Rutgers University's School of Management and Labor Relations, told The Hill.
Blind people voting privately
The profile of these two groups is very different, while there exists a great deal of heterogeneity within both of them.
Where blind people are concerned, the barriers are somewhat obvious. Those with profound sight loss, no matter how informed they may be on candidates and policies, are highly likely to experience difficulty in physically marking a ballot.
Yes. There are always options for assistance from trusted friends and family members, whether this involves completing a mail ballot or visiting a polling station.
However, it is undeniable that this frustrates an element of that independence integral to exercising one’s democratic right.
The requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Help America Vote Act 2002 do require polling stations to be equipped with accessible voting machines. These machines feature a built-in screen reader and allow blind voters to cast their ballots privately wearing the supplied headphones.
Unfortunately, over the years, there have been numerous anecdotal accounts of voters with sight impairments and other disabilities arriving at polling stations only to be informed that the accessible voting machine is not working.
There have been some shocking suggestions that some poll workers are simply not trained on how to demonstrate this equipment and have, therefore, chosen to leave them switched off.
There is no hard data as to how prevalent this was during the 2020 election. It is, however, not inconceivable that any blind voter who has previously experienced this, or heard about it, may have been dissuaded from turning out on polling day.
Interestingly, when one thinks about accessible voting machines, thoughts are inevitably drawn towards that familiar ultra-accessible supercomputer, known as a smartphone, that many blind people carry in their pocket each day.
Nevertheless, much controversy continues to exist around internet and app-based voting. Some see concerns around hacking and cybersecurity as a threat to free and fair elections.
Donald Trump’s persistent excoriation of the integrity of mail ballots both before and after the U.S. election demonstrates how easily politicized such issues can become.
Others argue that resistance to web-based voting is rowing against the inevitable tide of history. Advocates posit that immutable technologies such as blockchain and advanced cryptography will assuage concerns over cybersecurity and that, by the time Generation X ages into seniority, the lack of widespread web-based options will simply feel quaint and absurd.
Adults with learning difficulties require better support
For those with intellectual disabilities, the picture is very different. Individuals with cognitive and learning difficulties do require a large degree of support from others to participate in the electoral process.
This comes into play long before polling day and necessitates family and support workers believing in the value of their dependents having their voice heard, rather than writing them off when they are eligible to vote.
Simply creating a forum to discuss both the issues and the voting process in an appropriate manner may help to energize parts of this voter segment, for whom, it would be all too easy to allow the matter to be sidelined.
Political parties have their role to play here too by ensuring they create and promote easy read versions of their manifestos.
They may also consider outreach activities such as tailored study groups, or special events where adults with learning disabilities have an opportunity to get out and meet elected officials and candidates.
Research like the Rutgers EAC survey, comparing data over periods of time, are useful tools for shining a light on the current state of play and identifying areas for improvement.
Though clearly preoccupied with the pandemic right now, the hope is that President Joe Biden’s administration already appreciates that it shouldn’t take a global emergency to propel more equitable voting practices.
Whether one has a disability or not, the drive to exercise one’s democratic right to vote will ultimately always be deeply personal and yet, something that can be shaped and supported by outside influences.
With this in mind, it would be good to see more individuals with disabilities standing for public office and at the grassroots, volunteering to work in polling stations when 2024 rolls around.
"some" - Google News
February 21, 2021 at 05:00PM
https://ift.tt/3k5wHuE
2020 Election Most Accessible In Years But More Help Required For Some Disabilities - Forbes
"some" - Google News
https://ift.tt/37fuoxP
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "2020 Election Most Accessible In Years But More Help Required For Some Disabilities - Forbes"
Post a Comment