VOTING FOR OUR LIVES
With only 2 months left before the 2000 election, planning to get people
with disabilities out to vote must begin in earnest. Many political
analysts predict that the next president will choose a number of Supreme
Court Justices. With so many decisions about the enforcement of the ADA in
the court system, the importance of this next election cannot be
overestimated.
Your most important tool in the fight to get out the vote is a
comprehensive list of potential voters. The list should consist of your
clients, their family members, staff and friends. Every effort must be
made
to verify address and phone information. Lists can be compiled using a free
database system at www.ebase.org . This database
will
allow you to keep track of your entire constituency and can be used to
produce phone scripts, mailing labels. It is also important to determine
who is not registered to vote. In 44 states the National Voter
Registration
Act requires disability agencies to offer voter registration to their
clients. Time is very short for this task and it must be done immediately.
Voting can cause anxiety in even the most seasoned voter,
so it is important
to have a "dress rehearsal" of the voting process. Make a plan to give
every potential voter with disabilities hands-on pre-election exposure to
an
actual voting machine or voting system. Contact your local election board
promptly and in writing to make the necessary arrangements. This dress
rehearsal must be scrupulously non-partisan.
If you are going to help some people utilize absentee voting, you
must obtain, distribute and collect application forms. Follow-up should
include making sure applications and then absentee ballots are sent in.
Many poll workers will have had no experience in working with people
with disabilities. You might consider offering to assist your election
officials in training poll workers to work appropriately with people with
disabilities. Basic polling tips and more information can be found at the
home page of the National Organization on Disability,
www.nod.org, under the VOTE!2000 campaign.
