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Although Halloween may be in the rearview mirror, the frights continue into next Tuesday’s election day for many disabled voters, who must contend with inaccessible voting locations that impede their full participation in the election processes.
This grim reality is evident in the 2022 audit of Detroit polling locations, conducted by Detroit Disability Power and the Carter Center, that found only 16 percent of polls were accessible. An unconscionable 84 percent of Detroit polling locations were inaccessible. Examples include workers unfamiliarity with voter assist terminals (VAT), cracked sidewalks, heavy doors, nonworking elevators, and narrow doorways.
As a participant in the study, I can attest to the inaccessibility evidenced in my observations. I reviewed a polling location with a cracked pathway to the door making it impossible for me to navigate with a walker and difficult without assistance in a wheelchair. And while curbside voting is available to Detroiters, an election worker was not waiting for a voter who made pre-arrangements to drop off her ballot. She had to rely on a stranger to go into the polling location to retrieve a worker.
What does this mean for you and disabled voters everywhere? If inaccessibility, rooted in ableism, can plague the largest city in the state of Michigan, it is likely a problem elsewhere in the U.S. and abroad. Not only is the ability to vote a civil right, but it is also necessary to elect representatives who are committed to the issues that impact people with disabilities.
What can you do? For some, absentee ballots help us reserve energy and to ensure we don’t encounter some of these common barriers. But you should be able to vote any way you want, which is why if you choose to vote in person, getting a plan in place is always good. Taking someone to help you advocate and to assist with barriers can help. And when you encounter an issue, make your city’s clerk aware of the barrier. While it is indefensible that we have to content with inaccessibility to exercise this important right, taking these steps can help to ensure our voices are heard.
Share your experiences voting. What barriers have you faced? How did you navigate them?