by Jan Blaustone

Think your vote doesn't count? Think again.

A Harris Poll conducted by telephone just before the November 2000 presidential election showed that 41 percent of voting-age Americans with disabilities would vote, compared to 51 percent of all adults. The Harris data indicated that 56 percent of voters with disabilities said they'd vote for Al Gore and 38 percent for George W. Bush.

If people with disabilities had turned out in the same percentage as the rest of the country, Gore's margin of victory in the popular vote would have increased from half a million votes to 1 million or more. Had this happened uniformly across the country, he would have won Florida and would now be president.

Yes, your vote does count, even in a presidential election. But it has a greater impact in state and local elections where margins of victory can be even closer.

Why Vote?

On Nov. 7, voters with disabilities again will play an important role at the polls. In addition to choosing a president, many states and communities will elect local and statewide officeholders and cast ballots on questions of policy.

Some voters will choose candidates based on a plethora of issues that have nothing to do with disability. For others, disability-related issues involving accessibility, services, health care or other topics will determine their votes.

Brewster Thackeray, vice president and director of communications at the National Organization on Disability, says, Certain issues have a particular connection for a population group where only one-third are employed, many of those underemployed; where medical costs and insurance are frequent worries; where the availability of affordable transportation and housing are key to one's quality of life; and where the civil rights promised by the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] for employment, community services, and access can have a daily impact.

Thackeray points out that voters who are able-bodied but have relatives and friends with disabilities, or who work as caregivers and service pro-viders, are also likely to focus on such issues.

That could add up to a lot of potential votes for candidates and ballot initiatives or referendums that affect daily life even enough to change the election outcome.

Who's Running?

How do you know what issues are coming up? How can you find out candidates' positions on the topics you care about?

You can start by following local news coverage and televised debates among candidates.

For more precise information, visit the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED)'s Web site. (See "Voters' Resources.") Click on the map on the home page and you'll find a table linking to every state's election Web site. These sites give you scheduled election dates, voter and candidate registration information, ballot and referendum information, candidates' Web sites and much more.

Another approach is to check with disability organizations in your area, such as independent living centers, or city or state commissions on disability, to find out what issues they consider important, or what they know about the candidates.

To be an informed voter, you must learn about your candidates, all of them. In local races, the members of your city council, county board of supervisors or state legislature make decisions that can have a direct impact on your daily life.

Many candidates for Congress, governorships, legislatures, and other state, city and county offices maintain Web sites where they give their positions on some issues. Other Web sites offer candidates' responses to relevant questions. (See "Voters' Resources.")

Do They Care About Disability?

It's up to voters with disabilities to educate candidates by informing them of public policies that affect voters' lives whether it's a large issue such as Medicaid funding or a smaller issue that packs a punch such as sidewalk construction.

Some hot topics that will appear on local ballots across the country this election year include accessibility in new home construction (see "How to Have an Impact"), public transportation, education, lottery allocations, Help America Vote Act (HAVA) implementation plans (see "How to Vote"), and ADA compliance in state and county facilities.

If Web sites and campaign materials don't address your questions, you can call or e-mail candidates and ask for their positions on certain issues. A brief account of how you're affected by a current or proposed law or policy may prove educational and prod a candidate into responding.

You can also join a grassroots campaign. If a local issue sparks your interest, you can help inform the public about it and influence the way others vote. Remember that people without disabilities may know little about things that matter to you; a little information can drum up broader support.

And who better than you to encourage other people with disabilities to register and vote? The more involved you get, the more your vote, and your participation, counts.

David Jayne of Atlanta, an activist with ALS who led the fight to change a Medicare policy (see "How to Have an Impact"), says, "No one can say that their vote does not count. The disability community especially has a responsibility to vote if we want any control of our future."

Shouldn't I Register?

In most states, you must register to vote no later than 30 days before an election either in person at your county election commission office or by mail. Registration forms can be obtained online or at public places such as post offices and libraries.

Currently, people with disabilities register to vote at a rate that's 16 percent lower than that of the general population. Of the 54 million Americans with disabilities, more than 35 million are of voting age.

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 requires that voter registration be offered at motor vehicle license bureaus, by government agencies dealing with state or federal public assistance programs, military recruitment or services to people with disabilities. A few states even allow registration at the polls on election day.

 

HOW TO VOTE

The new, adjustable Diebold Election Systems AccuVote-TSX lets wheelchair users vote via a touch screen, a tethered keypad or voice prompts.

In order to vote for a candidate or an issue, you have to be able to cast a ballot. Accessibility at the polls isn't universal and in some communities it's abysmal. In fact, 4 million to 6 million people who went to the polls in 2000 never had their votes counted because of faulty registration lists, voting machine failures, and inaccessibility at the polls or with voting machines.

The Voting Rights Act of 2002 and the subsequent Help America Vote Act (HAVA) (Public Law 107-252) are meant to improve access to voting for people with disabilities as well as to update the voting process in the electronic age.

Some polling places in older buildings may not be accessible, but Congress approved $1.5 billion last year to help states meet new standards under HAVA. States can receive these funds for making polling places more accessible and for adding accessible voting machines, as well as for other improvements. The Election Assistance Commission will distribute another $1.6 billion through next year as reimbursement for costs incurred to obtain new voting equipment.

States' implementation of upgraded voting systems purchased with HAVA funding must meet disability access standards by Jan. 1, 2007, and all punch-card and lever machines must be replaced by Jan. 1, 2006.

Voting by Touch

HAVA also requires one touch-screen voting unit in every polling place. These machines work something like bank ATMs, and are accessible to wheelchair users and those with other disabilities.

In its primary elections this year, Washington, D.C., let its estimated 22,000 voters with movement or vision disabilities choose between the touch-screen and a paper optical-scan ballot. The accessible system allows a blind voter using headphones to hear the ballot and to vote in secret by following the prompts.

But the touch-screen system has come under fire for possible security problems. A New York Times editorial in January pointed out that the machines dont create a paper record of votes cast, and thus remain vulnerable to vote theft. Without a paper trail, some say, re-counts would be impossible, and fraud could go undetected. When machines malfunction, people are turned away from the polls.

For instance, Maryland purchased 16,000 AccuVote-TS machines (made by Diebold) and then had them tested by computer-security experts. They found it "an easy matter" to reprogram the access cards used by voters and vote multiple times.

In May, following many glitches in its March Super Tuesday primary, California banned the use of more than 14,000 Diebold machines in the November election unless their security can be upgraded.

California polling places may use the machines only if they provide voters with a choice of those or paper ballots. The use of touch-screen machines without a paper trail remains a topic of hot debate between those concerned about the security and time delays of improved technology, and those promoting better access for voters with disabilities.

Voting From Home

Nina Moore's efforts led Rep. A. James Manchin to introduce a new West Virginia law that bears Moore's name and allows people with disabilities to vote from their vehicles.

Meanwhile, many people find using the absentee ballot easy and convenient a "godsend," some say. You can request an absentee ballot from your county elections office, fill it out at home and mail it back in by the deadline. The major drawback argued is that new information may arise after you've voted that might change your mind about a candidate.

Nina Moore of Fairmont, W.Va., has voted by absentee ballot all her life because her polling place wasn't accessible until recently. Her routine hit a snag, however, in 1998 when her absentee ballot never arrived.

She called everyone from the mayor to her county clerk and was told she'd have to pass on her right to vote that year, because the polling place wasn't accessible to her power wheelchair. That response didn't sit well with Moore, 66 at the time, who has spinal muscular atrophy.

"I went home," Moore says, and called the local newspapers, television stations and radio stations. Some of them met me out in front of the steps to the schoolhouse where people were voting. Then the city clerk showed up saying she had obtained 'special permission from the capital' to bring me a ballot outside."

Moore's persistence drew a front-page article with photos that caught the attention of the late state Rep. A. James Manchin. He introduced a bill (which he called the Nina Moore Amendment) allowing West Virginia voters with disabilities to vote from their vehicles if their polling places aren't accessible.

Moore says, "It's a wonderful feeling to know I was a part of it [the amendment] and able to contribute to something. Everybody has a right to contribute.

"There's no excuse not to vote," she adds.

"When you run into an issue like I did with the steps at the polling place, you have to be firm and assertive. Know when to push and when to stand still. But you should never pull back."

If your county's polling places are behind the times, you may decide to get involved in that issue. In each state, grassroots organizations are working with election officials to inform them of the concerns and requirements of people with disabilities who vote.

These groups prepare comments on their states' proposed HAVA implementation plans. In doing so, they believe many more people with disabilities will be able to vote and fulfill a primary obligation and right of citizenship.

Contact your state's Division of Elections to join such an advisory panel. If none exists, now's your chance to gather a group of individuals and organizations to help.

The League of Women Voters offers a nonpartisan Get-Out-the-Vote manual with pointers and guidelines to conducting educational campaigns.

 

HOW TO HAVE AN IMPACT

Bill Altaffer

You can help make changes in many ways, whether by organizing a grassroots effort, joining campaigns to educate candidates, or simply by voting. It all begins with communication. Unless candidates are aware of an issue, they aren't going to focus on it.

At any time, election year or not, you can influence policies of your local, state and even federal governments.

Commitment, rather than experience in government or law, is needed to effect change, says William A. Altaffer, a Tucson, Ariz., attorney with spinal muscular atrophy who's committed to improving the quality of life in his community.

Accessible Homes

In response to the needs of a rapidly growing number of senior citizens and people with disabilities living in his county, Bill and his wife, Colette, began a grassroots effort three years ago to introduce a Pima County ordinance.

Passed in February 2002, the county's Inclusive Home Design Ordinance requires that all newly built homes must offer a basic level of accessibility. That principle is sometimes called visitability.

Altaffer, however, feels the term is misleading.

"To have the ability to 'visit' people in their home is least important," he explains. "What is most important is for homeowners to be able to age in their homes. With the baby boomers growing older, the likelihood of them having a disability also increases."

The Pima County ordinance requires at least one exterior accessible route to an accessible, no-step entrance with a 32-inch-wide entry. There are similar requirements for interior routes, thresholds, doors and hardware, and at least one bathroom must feature accessibility and wall reinforcements for future installations of grab bars.

The Altaffers met with strong resistance from the homebuilder industry, which attempted to challenge the new ordinance in the Arizona Supreme Court but was denied a review.

Despite the industry's objections, Altaffer says, the new requirements won't add substantially to construction costs.

The Altaffers also created a pamphlet that summarizes the ordinance and clarifies its requirements in simple, nontechnical language.

When you find a policy you want to change, the Altaffers recommend that you first practice explaining the issue in a simple manner. Then do research and know the details of the issue; prepare a well-organized proposal which is concrete but has some flexibility. Then assemble a dedicated, committed core team with some experts in areas affected by your idea.

After your group and your proposal are established, it's time to take the idea to elected officials in hopes of sponsorship. Then expand your base of support by joining forces with a wider array of organizations who will bring clout and status to the project. Finally, obtain public attention through the media.

Through it all, Altaffer advises, "Always take the high road.

"You have to roll with the punches," he adds. "When legislators said the [Inclusive Home Design] ordinance would cost too much, we came back with a cost analysis proving them wrong.

"And when it looked like we would not succeed, I thought at least we educated people. Education is at the backbone. Educate until people lose their fear of something new."

For an example of a state issue, see "As the Wheel Turns."

In-Home Care

David Jayne of Atlanta, a political science major with no formal experience in government, has influenced national policy. He began a grassroots effort to expand Medicare's "homebound" rule.

Jayne, who credits his success to "determination," was able to get his bill (H.R. 1490) passed as part of the Medi-care Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003. The amendment creates a two-year test project allowing people who receive home health care support from Medicare to leave their homes without losing benefits.

A father of two who has ALS, Jayne sacrificed for his cause.

"I worked eight to 10 hours most days for three years," he says. "It cost a good bit of family time and fun, but it was extremely worth it and I would definitely do it again."

Like Altaffer, Jayne believes in educating the public and those in government on how issues affect lives.

He also advises: "Never be afraid to ask for help."

Jayne began with an Internet petition in January 2001. He formed a bipartisan coalition called the National Coalition to Amend the Medicare Homebound Restriction for Americans with Significant Illness (NCAHB) consisting of some 14,000 individuals and 47 organizations.

In addition to support from the disablity community, Jayne said, lining up congressional co-sponsors was extremely important, especially on key committees. Recruiting Sen. [Robert] Dole as honorary chairman of NCAHB was also key.

"The general public was sympathetic, and the media coverage made this effort possible," Jayne says. "I also think my visits to Washington made legislators realize how absurd the homebound restriction is for the severely disabled."

Jayne urges those interested in changing policies to "build grassroots support, find political support and never give up. Yes, there were times of great frustration," he adds, "but giving up was not an option."

It's a good thing Jayne is so adamant about not giving up because his fight isn't over yet. The three-state demonstration project will gauge the effects of the changed rules and collect data on whether the rule change increases Medicare costs.

Up to 15,000 beneficiaries in Missouri, Colorado and Massachusettes will be eligable to enroll in the trial this fall.

Will the new law ever get under way nationwide? "Not without political pressure," Jayne says.

And that's where your voice and your vote come into play.

 

Voters' Resources

American Association of People with Disabilities
www.aapd-dc.org/dvpmain/newdvpindex.html
See Disability Vote Project and presidential candidates' views on disability issues.

Center for an Accessible Society
www.accessiblesociety.org

Federal Election Commission
www.fec.gov/hava/hava.htm
See Help America Vote Act.

HAVAccess Newsletter
www.inclusionsolutions.com

Holding Politicians Accountable
www.FactCheck.org

League of Women Voters
www.lwv.org

"Get Out the Vote" manual
www.nod.org/pdffiles/get_out_the_vote.txt

National Association of State Election Directors
www.nased.orgz

National Coalition to Amend the Medicare Homebound Restriction
for Americans with Significant Illness (NCAHB)
www.amendhomeboundpolicy.homestead.com

National Council on Independent Living
www.ncil.org

National Organization on Disability
www.nod.org/election2004.html
See Candidates Speak Out.

Pima County, Arizona, Inclusive Home Design Ordinance
www.co.pima.az.us
Search "Inclusive Home Design."

U.S. Department of Justice ADA Checklist for Polling Places
www.ada.gov/votingck.htm