Make Your Vote Count: The Voting Rights of People with Disabilities

1. Make Your Vote Count: The Voting Rights of People with Disabilities The Training Institute on Disability Rights

2. What does Equip for Equality (EFE) Do? Offers People with Disabilities: • Information • Support • Resources • Legal services • Seminars

3. Give EFE a Call North Eastern Region Phone: 1-800-537-2632 TTY: 1-800-610-2779 North Western Region Phone/TTY: 1-800-758-6869 South Central Region Phone/TTY: 1-800-758-0464

4. Equip for Equality Can Help If You • Were treated unfairly because of your disability • Need help requesting an accommodation in order to work, vote, etc. • Want to know your rights as a person with a disability • Want more control to make decisions about your life

5. Questions About Equip For Equality?

6. After This Session You’ll Be Able To: • Explain the importance of voting • Recognize your rights as a voter with a disability • Identify where to get help, file complaints and find more information

7. 6 Most Important Self-Advocacy Tips • Know your voting rights

8. 6 Most Important Self-Advocacy Tips • Register to vote by for the General Election on November 2 October 5

9. 6 Most Important Self-Advocacy Tips • Learn the positions of the candidates on issues

10. 6 Most Important Self-Advocacy Tips • Ask for Accommodations

11. 6 Most Important Self-Advocacy Tips 5. VOTE General Election is November 2

12. 6 Most Important Self-Advocacy Tips • Use resources for help and information

13. 6 Most Important Self-Advocacy Tips • Know Your Voting Rights • Register to Vote • Learn the Positions of the Candidates on Issues • Ask for Accommodations • Vote • Use Resources for Help and Information

14. Why Vote? Not everybody who can vote does. What is so important about voting- why take the time to do it?

15. Why Vote? This Election Will Affect You and Your Life. • Your rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act • Your access to services • Your access to transportation • Your opportunity to work • Your access to a quality mainstream education

16. Why Don’t People Vote? If it can make a difference- why don’t some people vote?

17. Does Your Vote Make a Difference? If you ever felt, “I’d do things differently if I were in charge!”, then you can make a difference by voting!

18. Voting Statistics If people with disabilities voted in the same ratios as did the rest of the public, the results of the 2000 election might have been different.

19. The Fight for the Right to Vote People who have had barriers to voting: • African Americans • Women • People with disabilities • People with limited English skills

20. Federal Laws on Voting • The Constitution states voting is a fundamental right • Voting Rights Act • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) • Help America Vote Act (HAVA)

21. Federal Law: Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Requires: • Provisional Voting • Voting related materials in alternate formats • One accessible voting machine in each polling place by 2006

22. HAVA Provides funds for: • Replacing old voting machines • Protection & Advocacy agencies to provide education, technical assistance; • Includes advocacy about voting rights • But not litigation

23. The Basics of Voting • You have to be a U.S. citizen • 18 years or older on election day • Registered voter on election day • Voting is free • Voting should be private • You can vote however you want

24. Primary and General Elections • Voters choose a candidate from a certain party to run in the general election. • The winner of the primary goes on to run against candidates of the other parties in the general election. This year the primary was on March 16! The election is on November 2!

25. Who is Qualified to Register to Vote? • Citizen of the U.S. on election day • At least 18 years of age on or before election day • A resident of the precinct at least 30 days as of the date of the next election and • Provide at least 2 pieces of identification, at least 1 that has your address

26. Registration Registration is the #1 requirement for voting!

27. You Must Register to Vote if You have: • Never registered before • Recently moved • Changed your name

28. Where Can You Register to Vote? In Person: • Local election authority • State driving license facilities • Department of public aid, public health, mental health and developmental disabilities and rehabilitation services offices • City and village offices • Some Libraries have a registrar on staff

29. What Identification do you Need to Register to Vote? In Person: • Local election authority • State driving license facilities • Department of public aid, public health, mental health and developmental disabilities and rehabilitation services offices • Libraries • City and village offices

30. Mail-In Registration • Illinois State Board of Elections website has forms to download, print and mail in • www.elections.state.il.us • If you register by mail, you will have to vote in person the first time

31. National Mail Voter Registration The National Mail Voter Registration Form lets you register to vote from almost anywhere in the U.S.! Forms available from: • EFE now! • Federal Election Commission website: www.fec.gov

32. Important Dates: In order to vote in the November 2 election, you must be a registered voter. Last Day to Registerfor the Election is October 5.

33. Bill of Rights for Illinois Voters You have the right to: • Request assistance and accommodations in voting, if needed • Vote if you have recently moved or changed your name • Receive a new ballot if you make a mistake or change your mind

34. Voting Assistance for People with Disabilities As a voter you have a choice to ask anyone you want to help you at the polls.

35. Voting Assistance for People with Disabilities If you cannot enter a polling place, because it is not accessible, you can request to vote outside near the entrance— curbside voting.

36. Accessible Polling Places and Voting Devices If you want to be sure you can vote on election day, it’s best to plan ahead. Callthe election office and tell them you need an accessible polling place.

37. Absentee Voting You can vote absentee if you are a registered voter: • Expecting to be absent from your county of residence on election day. • Unable to be present at the polls because of a physical incapacity • This includes being ill

38. Absentee Voting • Can be done in person or by mail • Application for an absentee ballot must be made • By Mail: Not more than 40 days or less than 5 days before the election. • In Person: Not more than 40 days or less than 1 day prior to the election.

39. Questions and Concerns • Your Local Election Authority • Attorney General • State Board of Elections • Federal Election Commission • Equip for Equality

40. Where to Find Information on Candidates and More • TV & Newspapers • Radio Stations • Disability Rights Organizations • League of Women Voters • Candidate Forums • Websites

41. Participate in the Voting Process • Get to know the candidates by hosting legislative breakfasts • Invite candidates to speak at self-advocacy group meetings • Ask for the support you need to vote!

42. Equip for Equality’s Voting Activities • Voting Rights Training • For People with Disabilities • For Election Judges in Chicago and Cook County Suburbs • Hotline for Election Day • Problems with voting • Questions about voting rights • Report Discrimination • Survey of Polling Places

43. Important Dates General Election: November 2, 2004 • September 23: First day to apply for absentee ballot • October 5: Last day for registration • November 1: Last day to apply for in-person absentee ballot

44. Questions About Voting?