[CT-NFB] Sample Letters for Secretary of State, Governor Lamont and Attorney General Tong

Wed May 27 19:46:27 UTC 2020

My apologies; my letter to Secretary Merrill did not attach, so I am pasting it below:

Dear Secretary Merrill,

My name is Melissa Carney. I am a recent graduate of Mount Holyoke College, and live in the small town of Deep River, Connecticut. I currently serve as Secretary of the National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut, as well as President of the Connecticut Association of Blind Students.

a couple weeks ago, you tweeted, “we can’t let fear of COVID-19 cost a single voter their voice. My plan, with combined efforts of our federal delegation and our partners at the state and local levels, allows every voter to cast their ballot safely and securely.”

My question for you is: what is your plan to implement privacy and independence into the absentee process to include people with disabilities?

The threat posed by COVID-19 still looms ahead for persons with disabilities, many of whom are extremely vulnerable to complications of the virus. While certain quarantine restrictions may be lifted in the next few months, many disabled Connecticut residents will have to self-isolate for longer due to the high risk of exposure. In short, not only will persons with disabilities struggle to arrange transportation to the polls, as per usual, but many will be forced to avoid the polls altogether for safety reasons. 

As of this week, Governor Lamont has signed an executive order allowing all eligible Connecticut residents to vote absentee. However, the current vote by mail system is not accessible to those with visual impairments or other severe physical disabilities, as they have no way of seeing, holding, or marking a physical paper ballot independently. To ask for assistance in doing so does not only infringe on one’s privacy, but is also degrading, and simply impossible for those who live on their own. As such, disabled Connecticut residents are left with two inadequate options: risking their safety by utilizing public transportation to travel to the polls in order to use accessible voting machines, or trying to reconcile exclusion from the absentee process. Despite reaching out to multiple elections officials on a regular basis, I have not received a single response regarding a solution for the prominent issue at hand.

Many of our neighbors, such as Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont, have implemented fully accessible and user-friendly digital absentee ballots, along with larger states such as California, Colorado, and West Virginia. Voting should be accessible to all Connecticut residents, regardless of ability. Every opinion matters. Access to at home voting privately and independently is a right that ALL deserve. Accessible voting should not end at the polling place. The ADA, section 508, and Title 2 all speak to government infrastructure, which voting is a significant component. I hope that Connecticut can uphold its progressive ideals and support safe, secure, and accessible voting for all.

If you have any further questions or comments, I can be reached at (860) 391-9319 or carne23m at mtholyoke.edu.

Regards,
Melissa Carney

Best,
Melissa

> On May 27, 2020, at 3:38 PM, Melissa Carney via CT-NFB <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> Dear all,
> 
> I echo President Melley's words. Please find attached my own letter that I sent last Friday to Denise  Merrill, Ted Bromley, and Scott Bates. My letter speaks directly to the personal consequences we face as a result of the pandemic. I'm also attaching a link to my published letter to the editor in The Day  newspaper. A similar letter will be published later this week in the Hartford Courant. public awareness is key as well.
> 
> https://www.theday.com/article/20200526/OP02/200529775 
> 
> As a side note, I work closely with Democracy Live, and they have, as of this week, begun to meet with Connecticut's election officials and explain the basis of accessible, digital voting software.
> 
> Every letter counts, so keep writing, Thank you all for your advocacy.
> 
> 
> Best,
> Melissa
>> 
>>> On May 27, 2020, at 3:02 PM, Maryanne Melley via CT-NFB <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>> 
>> Dear Federation Members,
>>  
>> Attached please find three letters that I have sent out to the above government members. I wrote the first one to the Secretary of state and then slightly modified the other two for their specific titles. Once you have a base letter it is easy to modify it and send to other officials and your local and national representatives. I encourage everyone to mail letters regarding the absentee ballot issue. I for one do not want to have someone else fill out my ballot for me. I want to be able to do that on my own and keep my decisions private like any other citizen in Connecticut. We are the National Federation of the Blind and our rights will not be trampled on!
>>  
>> Best Regards,
>>  
>> Maryanne Melley
>> President
>> National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut
>> 860-212-5549
>> mvcmelley at gmail.com
>>  
>> “Live the Life You Want”
>>  
>> <Secretary of State Letter.docx>
>> <Govenor Lemont Letter.docx>
>> <Attorney General Letter.docx>
>> _______________________________________________
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> 
> <Accessible Absentee Voting.docx>
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