[CT-NFB] For the People Act, S. 1

Wed Apr 21 12:32:05 UTC 2021

Good morning Jim and All,
Please be advised that Kim Quarantello is no longer with Senator Blumenthal. Please let us know our new contact when you are able, thank you. I found this out when I sent and email. She did provide me with a phone number:
202-224-2823 as well as her personal email:
kim.quarantello at gmail.com

Sincerely,
 Deb Reed
Central CT Chapter President 
National Federation Of The Blind
Phone - 860-973-3679 
Cell-860-378-5370
Email - deb.reed57 at gmail.com

> On Apr 20, 2021, at 9:09 AM, Mary Silverberg <marysilverfox at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Good Morning Jim,
> Thank you for getting the word out to everyone!
> This is an opportunity for each of us to  let our legislators know how important this is to us.
> Your email does not have to be complicated with all kinds of specific details if you are not sure what to say.
> Just  let them know  how important it is to each of us to be able to vote privately and independently 
> and to have  our rights upheld to be able to use  other ballot marking devices to vote.
> These are our senators  at the national level.  They will be voting to make this happen in all states, not only CT.
> Mary Silverberg
> Second Vice President
> NFB-CT
> 
>> On Tue, Apr 20, 2021 at 8:13 AM Deb Reed via CT-NFB <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Thank you Jim for this important information, providing  an opportunity for each of us to do our part by sending these emails on such an important topic as voting rights!
>> 
>> 
>> Deborah J. Reed
>> Central Chapter President
>> NFB of CT
>> Deb.reed57 at gmail.com
>> 860-378-5370
>> “Live the life you want, blindness is not what holds you back.” National Federation Of The Blind 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Apr 19, 2021, at 7:48 PM, Jim McCollum via CT-NFB <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hello, all. 
>>> Below is an e-mail that was sent by John Pare, but I included it here because it explains our position on this important bill very well. 
>>> 
>>> The legislative director in Senator Blumenthal’s office is Kim Quarantello, e-mail Kim_Quarantello at Blumenthal.senate.gov. Senator Murphy’s legislative director is Chris Mewett, e-mail Chris_Mewett at Murphy.senate.gov. If you write, please remember to copy Jeff Kaloc, jkaloc at nfb.org. 
>>> If you have not done so already, please call or e-mail our senators. What happens with this legislation will have an impact on issues that we have been dealing with concerning voting in Connecticut. 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Jim Y. McCollum 
>>> Board Member and Legislative Coordinator 
>>> National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut 
>>> 860-581-0430 
>>> j.mccollum64 at comcast.net
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>> Begin forwarded message:
>>> 
>>>> From: "Pare, John via NFBNet-Members-List" <nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Date: April 12, 2021 at 7:11:24 PM EDT
>>>> To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org
>>>> Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Legislative Alert: April 12, 2021
>>>> Reply-To: "Pare, John" <JPare at nfb.org>
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Dear Federation Family:
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> On March 17, 2021, the Senate introduced S. 1, the For the People Act. We expect the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration to hold a markup for this bill later this month. S. 1 does not address the lack of a secret ballot resulting from a very small number of blind voters using an accessible ballot-marking device (BMD) or the need for vote-by-mail ballots to adhere to the Help America Vote Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. President Riccobono has written a letter to Senators Klobuchar and Merkley urging that S. 1 be amended. His letter can be found at  https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/policy-statements/letter-senators-klobuchar-and-merkley-regarding-s-1.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Please call or write your two senators and urge them to support the two amendments contained in this letter. These two amendments would:
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> 1. Increase the number of ballot-marking devices in each polling place from one to two and require poll workers to actively and specifically offer the ballot-marking devices to voters with and without disabilities.
>>>> 
>>>> 2. Require that states adhere to the requirements of the Help America Vote Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act with regard to vote-by-mail.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> When you call or email your senators you might say something like:
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> "Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I am a constituent of [SENATOR NAME]. I live in [CITY, STATE]. I would like to urge [SENATOR NAME] to propose two amendments to S. 1 that would protect blind voters’ rights to a private and independent ballot. The first amendment would increase the number of ballot-marking devices in each polling place from one to two and require poll workers to actively and specifically offer the ballot-marking devices to voters with and without disabilities. The second amendment would require states to adhere to the requirements of the Help America Vote Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act with regard to vote-by-mail. Together, these two amendments will ensure that blind Americans are able to vote and that our ballots will be indistinguishable from others.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks."
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> You can contact your senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard and asking for the office in question. The number is 202-224-3121. If you email your senators, please copy Jeff Kaloc at jkaloc at nfb.org. Your calls and emails do make a difference.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> It is best to call or email the relevant voting staffer in your senators’ offices. If you need the name and email of the appropriate staff person for any Senate office, please email Jesa Medders at jmedders at nfb.org. 
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Thank you for all that you do. For your convenience, the content of President Riccobono’s letter is below.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Warm Regards,
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> John
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Dear Chairwoman Klobuchar and Senator Merkley:
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> The National Federation of the Blind, the premier membership and advocacy organization of blind Americans, urges that the For the People Act of 2021 (S. 1) be amended with regard to requirements for ballot-marking devices and the process of requesting, completing, and submitting vote-by-mail ballots.
>>>> 
>>>> As you may already know, ballot-marking devices allow blind or print-disabled persons to accessibly and independently complete their ballot. These machines are typically not used by non-disabled voters, but they offer several advantages. Ballot-marking devices eliminate stray marks, prevent voters from over voting, and enable voters to change their selection before the ballot is printed. However, these machines will frequently print a paper ballot that differs in both size and style from traditional paper ballots.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Because so few non-disabled voters use the ballot-marking devices, the distinguishable ballot produced by the machine prevents blind and other disabled voters from having a secret ballot. To ensure that blind and print-disabled voters are able to cast both a secret and independent ballot, it is essential that S. 1 be amended, so that ballot-marking devices are not restricted to only voters with disabilities. We propose striking the existing language in Section 1503(a) and replacing it with:
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> (a) IN GENERAL. —Section 301(a)(3)(B) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21081(a)(3)(B)) is amended to read as follows:
>>>> 
>>>> “(B) satisfy the requirement of subparagraph (A) through the use of at least two direct recording electronic voting systems or other voting system equipped for individuals with disabilities at each polling place and:
>>>> 
>>>> (i) the use of such voting systems shall not be restricted to voters with disabilities and must be actively and specifically offered as a voting method to all voters, regardless of whether the voter does or does not have a disability; and
>>>> 
>>>> (ii) all state board of elections must conduct training of poll workers on the use and operation of such voting systems and on the policy that poll workers must actively and specifically offer such voting systems to all voters, regardless of whether the voter does or does not have a disability.”
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Furthermore, more Americans than ever before are choosing to vote by mail, therefore it is essential that blind Americans not be excluded from this opportunity. In that regard, S. 1 must be amended to ensure that the process for requesting, completing, and submitting a vote-by-mail ballot is nonvisually accessible. S. 1 currently states in Section 1101: “Rule of Construction. — Nothing in this section may be construed to allow the marking or casting of ballots over the internet." We urge that this “Rule of Construction” be stricken and replaced with the following: “Rule of Construction. — Nothing in this law shall be construed to limit or alter a state’s obligations under Section 301(a)(3)(A) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act as amended.” This would ensure that Congress is preserving the accessibility requirements of these two landmark laws.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Ensuring the accessibility of in-person and vote-by-mail balloting will guarantee that blind Americans are able to exercise their right to vote in a safe and secure manner without having to wait in long lines and crowded areas for extended periods of time. It is essential to incorporate the above amendments into the bill in order to guarantee that blind Americans are able to vote privately,
>>>> 
>>>> independently, and secretly. Without these amendments to the bill, Congress would be reversing decades of progress in voting rights for Americans with disabilities.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> If the National Federation of the Blind can be of assistance in any way, especially by utilizing the nonvisual access to voting best practices and innovations we have developed over the past decades, please do not hesitate to contact us.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> We are fully prepared to help in any way that we can, in order to guarantee that all Americans, especially blind Americans, can confidently participate in our electoral democracy. 
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Sincerely,
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Mark A. Riccobono, President
>>>> 
>>>> National Federation of the Blind
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
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