September 13, 2008

Election Day is on the way! Texans with disabilities must have their say!!

“Nothing about us without us!” That slogan is used a lot by people with disabilities who want to be involved in decisions that affect their lives. DPC member organizations are working hard to assure that the spirit of that slogan is carried into every polling place in Texas when America votes on Nov. 4.

With such big issues as the economy, jobs, housing and health care (to name just a few) on the public agenda, it’s important for people with disabilities to contribute their unique perspective to the discussion. A good place to start is in the voting booth!

Advocacy, Inc. and the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities are two DPC member organizations that are in high gear with voter education and get out the vote activities through the Help America Vote Act. Congress created HAVA in 2002 to ensure that people with disabilities are able to fully participate in elections, including registering to vote, casting a vote and accessing polling places.

As the state’s protection and advocacy system, Advocacy, Inc. gets funding from Congress to carry out a wide variety of HAVA-related activities such as training people with disabilities on voting rights, surveying polling places and working with election officials to assure accessibility. In addition to these year-round activities, AI operates a special voting hotline during elections to answer questions, respond to legal violations and troubleshoot problems during elections. (Information about the hotline appears in the blue box.)

Check out AI’s useful voting rights guide on its Web site: http://www.advocacyinc.org/PDF/VotingRights.pdf . (Adobe Reader required, get it here .) If you have questions or need more information, contact Dustin Rynders is AI’s HAVA policy specialist at 512-454-4816 or drynders@advocacyinc.org

Meanwhile, working in collaboration with AI, the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities is conducting a series of HAVA seminars throughout the state to help Texans with disabilities understand their rights as voters. CTD has been part of the Secretary of State’s HAVA committee since 2003 and has initiated or participated in a wide variety of voting outreach activities over the years.

Launched last July, the seminars include useful information about polling place accessibility, important dates in the upcoming general election, registration and voters’ rights. Participants also get a hands-on demonstration of voting machines at each seminar.

The demonstration was a great success at a recent San Antonio Independent Living Services event. “People were able to get their hands on a voting machine. This gave them a chance to gain confidence and get past intimidation often associated with voting,” said CTD staff member Nathaniel Klugman.

If you would like to schedule a seminar or get more information about CTD’s voting rights activities, contact Nathaniel at 512-478-3366 or nklugman@cotwd.org.

 

Mark your calendars with these important voting dates for 2008.

• Sept. 5: First day to apply for ballot by mail (must be received on or before October 28!)
• Oct. 6: Last day to register to vote
• Oct. 20: First day of early voting
• Oct. 28: Last day to apply for ballot by mail (must be received, not just postmarked)
• Oct. 31: Last day of early voting (wear a Halloween costume if you want!)
• Nov. 4: Election Day

 

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