The September statewide meeting of the Faithful Stance for Equity coalition included a very informative presentation by Barbara Beckert of the Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition. People who are unable to get to the polls have the right to vote despite the passage of recent laws trying to make it more difficult to vote. People who are unable to get to the polls or a mailbox unassisted do have the right to have someone else help them as long as that person is not an employer or union representative. A wealth of legal and practical information was presented, including advice about what congregations can do to help make sure everyone can vote. 

A copy of the PowerPoint presentation that is chock full of information may be downloaded here.

Topics covered include

• Legal protections for voting by disabled people
• About 23% of people have some disability, including consequences of aging; disabled people are underrepresented at the polls
• Historical barriers to voting & new barriers due to post-2020 laws
• Legal challenges to new laws including federal laws that require accessibility
• Voters rights to accessible voting, curbside voting, reasonable accommodations
• Guardianship issues
• How to get involved
• Resources, including election day hotlines

You may also watch a videorecording of the presentation (75 minutes).

• Category: Justice
• Tag: Disability Voting Rights, Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition