“We Need Better Options”: 4 Women With Disabilities Reveal How the Voting System Leaves Them Behind
Sixty percent of polling places have at least one accessibility issue, according to a 2016 study by the Government Accountability Office, which means that voters with disabilities often face extreme barriers when it comes to casting their ballots in elections. Now factor in a global pandemic and new forms of voter suppression, like the lawsuit in Harris County, Texas, that threatened to toss out 100,000 ballots cast at a drive-through early polling place. (Voting this way is much more accessible to folks with disabilities.)
Ahead of the 2020 Election Day, Cosmopolitan spoke to four women with disabilities about what it was like to vote—and how the government needs to do better for this community.
“I had to sign an affidavit for someone to touch the buttons for me, which no longer made my ballot private.”
“I am immunocompromised due to respiratory failure from muscular dystrophy and use a breathing machine 24/7. I live in Texas and I voted early in person from the curb. I wore a mask over my breathing machine mask and a face shield on top of that.
“The process was not very user-friendly or well-known in Texas. Luckily, I knew curbside voting was an accommodation allowed for people with disabilities, but there was not a sign or phone number or anything to inform voters at my polling location that they could do this. I had to call the Department of Elections in Bexar County to tell them I was curbside voting 20 minutes before I arrived at the polling location, then I had to call them again when I arrived so they could contact the poll workers inside. Then I waited about 20 minutes for them to come out and verify my ID and give me paperwork to sign. Then I voted on a tablet. It was hard with my limited mobility to operate the large heavy touchscreen tablet so I had to sign an affidavit for someone to touch the buttons for me, which no longer made my ballot private.
“There need to be various ways people can cast their ballots for accessibility reasons. Things like longer early voting periods. The Senate needs to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to cut down on voter suppression. Because I am privileged, I have not faced issues that have completely blocked me from voting. However, there are numerous people with disabilities and/or BIPOC who are denied the access to vote and those of us who are privileged enough to vote need to exercise that right every chance we get to elect the right people in office to end disenfranchisement.” —Laura Halvorson, 36
“I’ve had to ask for help regarding a desk since the private areas that they have are not low enough for my wheelchair to be leveled.”
“This year, I voted by mail, and I requested an absentee ballot to be sent from New York to California where I currently reside.
“As somebody with a physical disability, voting has been difficult as far as accessibility. The places that I personally have voted at, I’ve had to ask for help regarding a desk since the private areas that they have are not low enough for my wheelchair to be leveled. This is something that happens in many voting sites regarding disabled people and voting. It’s voter suppression.
“There have been many obstacles dealing with voter suppression in the disability community. Accessibility is a huge part. Either there isn’t a ramp to get into the polling area or there isn’t a translator for people who are visually impaired or hard of hearing/deaf. But informing myself on my rights as an American citizen is my job and I take it very seriously. A vote is a confirmation of my right as an American citizen. It means that things like immigration rights, disability rights, LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, policing, and the condemnation of white supremacy will be heard.” —Jillian Mercado, 33
“We need better options in regards to having adjustable screens, bigger letters, even a place to sit down and audio for hard of hearing.”
“For the most part, voting in person in Los Angeles was relatively easy, except for the fact that they did not have an adjustable lower tablet and a seat for me to sit down. I’m 4-foot-4 due to my disability, so I’m really short and the screen didn’t adjust to my height. I had to really reach.
“I think a couple of things could improve. I think we need better options in regards to having adjustable screens, bigger letters, even a place to sit down and audio for hard of hearing. But just because the polls are not accessible in regards to being able to adjust the screen, I’m not gonna let that stop me from voting and exercising my right to vote. I just adapt. Even if I’m only one person, I do have a voice and no one can take that away from me. No one.” —Misty Diaz, 30
“Long lines are another form of voter suppression, especially for people who have disabilities.”
“I’m a really high propensity voter in California, so I’ve always voted. Most recently, I always make it a point to vote in person because I’d like to check if the accessible voting machine is up and running at my polling place. I’ve definitely gone where it’s not set up yet. Or it’s just not on or it’s in a place that isn’t very private. I’m just super tied into what it means to vote effectively. Going in person always felt like an action. It made it more real. To me, it felt like 'Okay, this is what I want to do.’ I know I can vote in person. I like the excitement of it. It gives me a different feeling than this time voting by mail.
“But with COVID-19, I voted by mail this year. I don’t have the capacity to stand in really long lines. There shouldn’t be long lines. Long lines are another form of voter suppression, especially for people who have disabilities. People who have to work, people with children, people don’t have the luxury of standing in line. It’s not an acceptable method.” —Dolores Tejada, 34
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