Roughly 40 million eligible voters in the U.S. are disabled, including thousands of Arizonans. That’s according to a new report from Rutgers University. And this population is feeling excluded from the electoral process.
The disabled voting bloc is growing as the U.S. population ages, but voters and advocates say there are hurdles that make people feel excluded from the electoral process, and they aren’t being addressed. Those range from inaccessible campaign materials to the candidate seldomly mentioning how issues like COVID-19 impact the disability community.
The report shows that there are slightly more than 7 million voters with disabilities in battleground states, including Arizona.
One of the co-authors of the report said that people with disabilities are less likely to receive information about politics and can face challenges when voting in-person or by mail.
Disability Rights Arizona created a video series on Voting Rights for people with disabilities and what to expect for the General Election on Nov. 5. These videos can be found on the DRAZ YouTube page, in both English and Spanish:
- Make a Plan to Vote: https://youtu.be/b4MnXUxSZw8
- Haz Un Plan Para Votar: https://youtu.be/iDCITNYfHhM
- How to Request Voting Accommodations: https://youtu.be/8GWUdAVpEHY
- Como Solicitar Adaptaciones Para Votar: https://youtu.be/dYSARkn26pY
- How to Vote by Mail: https://youtu.be/suiE78lc2Oc
- Como Votar Por Correo: https://youtu.be/dciZXpYc2oA
