Voting Resources for People with Disabilities 

Register, Educate, Vote. Make the disability vote count Red, white, and blue logo for the sc disability voting coalition

Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities, Inc. (P&A) and other members of the SC DisAbility Voting Coalition have developed a new online voting resource manual to accompany the set of videos the coalition produced last spring.

This coalition of over forty non-profit and state agencies is a non-partisan group dedicated to increasing the numbers of people with disabilities who vote through voter education and improved access to the voting process.  In South Carolina, 17.5% of the voting age population has a disability[i].  A study conducted in 2012 revealed that voter turnout was lower for people with disabilities than people without disabilities[ii]. These new resources will help voters understand their rights, the different ways that they can vote, the challenges that they may face, and the accommodations available to them so that they can successfully vote in November.

Milena Herring, a local advocate who has multiple sclerosis says, “I have always been politically active and I won’t let my physical disability change that. I have voted in every election since I was 18 years old. As many people have said, voting isn’t a right. It’s the right.” Herring is an active member of the SC DisAbility Voting Coalition and wants to make sure that all people understand that their vote counts. Gloria Prevost, the Executive Director of P&A notes, “There are many barriers that a person with a disability may face while trying to vote. These new resources will help people prepare to advocate for their rights and ensure a smoother voting experience.”

 

 

[i]  2013 American Community Survey, US Census Bureau http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_1YR_S1810&prodType=table

 

[ii] Disability, Voter Turnout, and Voting Difficulties in the 2012 Elections http://www.eac.gov/assets/1/Page/Disability%20and%20voting%20survey%20report%20for%202012%20elections1.pdf