Disability Rights Arizona hotline sees fewer calls, but barriers remain for some voters

To help reinforce voting rights of residents with disabilities, the nonpartisan Disability Rights Arizona offered its voter hotline from when polls opened until they closed Tuesday.

CEO JJ Rico said the agency has worked for years to reinforce voting rights for people with all kinds of disabilities, from physical to intellectual or developmental conditions.

“If they have the right to vote, they should be able to vote in any way that they can,” said Rico. “And so we're going to continue to advocate for that as an agency that represents people with disabilities, but it has improved. We just hope that continues under the next administration.”

Rico said many callers asked the nonpartisan operation whether caretakers or family members can help someone vote or drop off their ballot, which they could.

Another major barrier he said callers ran into was access to special election boards.

“That's where someone that may live in a hospital or may not be able to get out of their home,” explained Rico. “They're people that come to them so that they can cast the vote. Now, the issue that was presented was they called Maricopa County and weren't able to get the special election board.”

He said many calls had apparently come in too late for the county to send out a bipartisan team as required.

“This year's election, we did not receive as many calls compared to for sure compared to 2020," Rico said.

Rico credited increased preparation ahead of Election Day, especially in Maricopa County. But, he added, there’s always room to improve voting accessibility.