February 20, 2020 in Washington, D.C.

As the 2020 elections rapidly approach, the US Election Assistance Commission (EAC) has designed a forum to address growing concerns regarding accessibility and security. This all-day forum will bring together state and local election officials, people with disabilities, disability advocates, and election security experts to discuss issues and advance solutions. The collaborative workshops and EAC’s efforts will assist election officials serving voters with disabilities in the 2020 elections and beyond. EAC commissioners will be in attendance and will play a leading role in promoting collaboration amongst participants.

https://www.eac.gov/events/2020/02/20/2020-elections-disability-accessibility-and-security-forum

Disabled People and Civic Engagement

Brandeis University in partnership with the Ford Foundation and the Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy are working to better understand the challenges, gaps, and opportunities for cross-movement work between disability rights and civic engagement communities. This work is informed by disabled people in the disability rights community to identify areas where philanthropy can better commit (and in some cases recommit) to disability rights within their civic engagement work.

As part of this research they are sharing a survey for people with disabilities who live in the U.S. about their civic engagement experiences. This survey is anonymous and voluntary.

They would appreciate if you would take a few minutes to complete the survey, and/or share with your networks. If you have questions or require an accessible version of this survey please let Sandy Ho, hos@brandeis.edu, know and one will be provided.

SURVEY: People with disabilities and Civic engagement: A Way Forward for Philanthropy

You can read more about Civic Engagement at FordFoundation.org.

Thanks to the Center for Living and Working in Worcester for the information!

Nonprofit VOTE is offering a free Voter Engagement Crash Course on September 9 – 13, 2019.

” You know what the difference is between you and other organizations who have solid, reliable voter engagement plans? One week.
Enroll now for a one week crash course — September 9-13 — for a series of daily webinars and resources that will have you ready to act and get people registered.  “

Click Here to Enroll in the Voter Engagement Crash Course.

WEBINAR: Running a Voter Registration Drive at Your Nonprofit

Nonprofit VOTE is also offering a free Webinar on Thursday, August 29 at 2 p.m. ET.

Click Here to Enroll in Running a Voter Registration Drive.

We can do better!  Read this new analysis from the Philadelphia Inquirer of the Rutgers Report on the Disability Vote in 2018.

https://www.inquirer.com/politics/voters-disabled-turnout-2020-gap-20190722.html

From Non Profit Vote – This report is especially interesting in that it tries to indicate what policies could be driving higher voter participation.  At 17th in the list with 54.6% participation as compared to the highest at 64.2% (Minnesota), Massachusetts has room to improve!

The report is packed with useful information, charts, and graphs that can help you spread the word about your own voter advocacy work or help highlight how your state needs to do more to ensure every eligible citizen has access to the polls. “

Download the report:   Voter Turnout in 2019

Majority of disabled voters in U.S. faced obstacles in casting ballots in ’16

From the Digital Journal and Newswire.com.  October 1, 2018

This article confirms what REV UP stands for – the disability community needs to vote and to have a louder voice!  “Candidates for office ignore the disability community at their peril.”

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/3959496

“It’s the month before the midterm elections and one of the nation’s leading disability organizations has a wake-up call for candidates. “Fully three-quarters of likely voters either have a disability themselves or have a family member or a close friend with disabilities,” said former U.S. Representative and Dallas Mayor Steve Bartlett. Bartlett is the chairman of RespectAbility, a Washington-based nonpartisan nonprofit that fights stigmas and advances opportunities so people with disabilities can participate in all aspects of community.

“Our survey shows that 74 percent of likely voters are touched by disabilities,” said Bartlett, who was a primary author of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. “Our nation was founded on the principle that anyone who works hard should be able to get ahead in life. These folks deserve an equal opportunity to earn an income and achieve independence just like anyone else. Candidates for office ignore the disability community at their peril.”

For more information, or to register online (free), visit disabilityorganizing.net.

When:  September 21, 2018 at 2 p.m ET

Join this collaborative webinar hosted by the DOnetwork and the REV UP Campaign to learn more about barriers to accessing election information, including information on candidates and the issues.

The webinar will explore how political campaigns, hosts of candidate forums, and election officials can make their materials and information more accessible to people with disabilities. Webinar presenters include the National Council on Independent Living and the Center for Disability Empowerment.

The REV UP Campaign, launched by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) in 2016, is a nonpartisan initiative that coordinates with national, state, and local disability organizations to increase the political power of the disability community while also engaging candidates and the media on disability issues. The Campaign focuses on voter registration, education, access, and engagement. REV UP stands for Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power! Learn more at www.aapd.com/REVUP.

Launched by the Center for American Progress (CAP), a liberal think tank in Washington, D.C.,  the new project intends to “include disability expertise in all internal conversations and projects, while modeling the necessity and utility of such inclusion to other groups that work in progressive spaces”.  …”disability isn’t a niche issue; there are over 57 million Americans with disabilities”…

Read the article from the Pacific Standard.  Published August 14, 2018 by David M. Perry