[DSM-Iowa] Time for Immediate Action RIGHT NOW

[m.barber817 at gmail.com]

                Ladies and gentlemen:  Scott has asked me to lead the charge
on this very important project so we can have a way to fill out our own
absentee ballots if we so choose without sighted assistance, the same as we
can using electronic voting machines.  With the advent of the Codin19 Virus,
some of us are electing not to vote in person.  But, I still want you to
vote.

 

The Iowa Secretary of State and the Legislative Council have the say over
whether we will be able to have accessible absentee ballots or not.  

 

NFBI, ICUB, and Disability Rights Iowa have put in some very intense work on
this issue.  Letters to the Editor have been posted, 2 billboards have been
posted, and Scott and Carrie have both been interviewed by WHO Channel 13
yesterday about this issue.

 

Now it's our turn to step up and make ourselves known.  Below, I am pasting
the letter I wrote to Pate and the Legislative Council.  Below that will be
all their contact information for your use.  Please, please use it right
away.  Do not put it off till next week or next month.  That just won't do.

 

 

Michael D. Barber, NFBI Board Member

 

Disenfranchised Once Again

 

 

Dear Secretary of State Pate and Legislative Council Members:

 

Many of us will remember the election of 2000 with its hanging, pregnant,
and dimpled chads, as well as other discrepancies which showed the need for
updated election laws.  And thus, was born the Help America Vote Act, a law
which for the first time provided people who are blind or who had low vision
the right to vote a secret ballot.  Specifications were laid out regarding
the design of a properly accessible voting machine which provided a way for
me, a blind person, to cast my own private ballot.

 

Before 2006, I either had to have a poll worker from each party with me or a
person of my own choosing to mark my ballot.  I always hated voting this way
because I never felt I could vote privately without wondering what the
person marking my ballot thought about my vote.

 

In 2020, with the onset of Covid19, I was hesitant about going to a public
polling place and contracting the virus.  My only choice was to cast an
absentee ballot which meant I had to have someone else mark my ballot.  This
made me feel disenfranchised, again.  Even though the Help America Vote Act,
Title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act are very specific about not discriminating against people
with disabilities, we here in Iowa find ourselves having to fight a needless
battle once again.  I have been told by Molly Widen of the Secretary of
State's Office that the 24-member Legislative Council has to vote on a
"pilot" ballot marking tool for those of us who need to use an absentee
ballot which we can mark independently. At this time, this still hasn't
happened.

 

I am told by Democracy Live and Voting Works that it takes truly little time
to make this happen so it could be available on Election Day.  

 

Please, Secretary Pate, and Iowa Legislative Council, give me back my
independent right to vote a secret absentee ballot, if that is what I choose
to do.

 

Michael D. Barber

2880 Grand Avenue

Unit 503

Des Moines, IA  50312

(515) 284-1569

m.barber817 at gmail.com <mailto:m.barber817 at gmail.com> 

 

 

 

Contact Information for

Secretary of State and Legislative Council

 

Secretary of State Paul Pate

sos at sos.iowa.gov <mailto:sos at sos.iowa.gov> 

515-281-0145

 

jack.whitver at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:jack.whitver at legis.iowa.gov> 

515.281.3371

 

joe.bolkcom at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:joe.bolkcom at legis.iowa.gov> 

joe at joebolkcom.org <mailto:joe at joebolkcom.org>  (home)

319.337.6280

 

jerry.behn at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:jerry.behn at legis.iowa.gov> 

515.432.7327

 

jake.chapman at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:jake.chapman at legis.iowa.gov> 

jake at votejakechapman.com <mailto:jake at votejakechapman.com>  (home)

515.650.3942

 

randy.feenstra at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:randy.feenstra at legis.iowa.gov> 

712.439.1244

 

pam.jochum at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:pam.jochum at legis.iowa.gov> 

563.580.2980

 

jim.lykam at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:jim.lykam at legis.iowa.gov> 

563.391.1919

 

janet.petersen at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:janet.petersen at legis.iowa.gov> 

515.281.3901

 

amanda.ragan at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:amanda.ragan at legis.iowa.gov> 

641.424.2316

 

Charles.schneider at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:Charles.schneider at legis.iowa.gov> 

515.657.7375

 

amy.sinclair at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:amy.sinclair at legis.iowa.gov> 

641.870.0199

 

dan.zumbach at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:dan.zumbach at legis.iowa.gov> 

563.920.5094

 

pat.grassley at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:pat.grassley at legis.iowa.gov> 

319.214.0351

 

jane.bloomingdale at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:jane.bloomingdale at legis.iowa.gov> 

515.281.3221

 

dave.deyoe at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:dave.deyoe at legis.iowa.gov> 

515.382.2352

 

chris.hall at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:chris.hall at legis.iowa.gov> 

515.281.3221

 

lee.hein at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:lee.hein at legis.iowa.gov> 

heinlee at gmail.com <mailto:heinlee at gmail.com>  (home)

319.465.5805 (home)

319.480.1997 

 

brian.meyer at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:brian.meyer at legis.iowa.gov> 

515.281.3221

 

gary.mohr at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:gary.mohr at legis.iowa.gov> 

515.281.3221

 

jo.oldson at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:jo.oldson at legis.iowa.gov> 

515.255.2805

 

todd.prichard at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:todd.prichard at legis.iowa.gov> 

641.228.6070

 

sharon.steckman at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:sharon.steckman at legis.iowa.gov> 

steckman at hotmail.com <mailto:steckman at hotmail.com>  (home)

641.424.9362

 

john.wills at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:john.wills at legis.iowa.gov> 

willisforiowa at gmail.com <mailto:willisforiowa at gmail.com>  (home)

712.330.9492

 

matt.windschitl at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:matt.windschitl at legis.iowa.gov> 

712.642.4334

 

 

Group Email Addresses for Legislative Council

 

jack.whitver at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:jack.whitver at legis.iowa.gov> ;
joe.bolkcom at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:joe.bolkcom at legis.iowa.gov> ;
jerry.behn at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:jerry.behn at legis.iowa.gov> ;
jake.chapman at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:jake.chapman at legis.iowa.gov> ;
randy.feenstra at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:randy.feenstra at legis.iowa.gov> ;
pam.jochum at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:pam.jochum at legis.iowa.gov> ;
jim.lykam at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:jim.lykam at legis.iowa.gov> ;
janet.petersen at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:janet.petersen at legis.iowa.gov> ;
amanda.ragan at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:amanda.ragan at legis.iowa.gov> ;
Charles.schneider at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:Charles.schneider at legis.iowa.gov> ;
amy.sinclair at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:amy.sinclair at legis.iowa.gov> ;
dan.zumbach at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:dan.zumbach at legis.iowa.gov> ;
pat.grassley at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:pat.grassley at legis.iowa.gov> ;
jane.bloomingdale at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:jane.bloomingdale at legis.iowa.gov> ;
dave.deyoe at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:dave.deyoe at legis.iowa.gov> ;
chris.hall at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:chris.hall at legis.iowa.gov> ;
lee.hein at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:lee.hein at legis.iowa.gov> ;
brian.meyer at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:brian.meyer at legis.iowa.gov> ;
gary.mohr at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:gary.mohr at legis.iowa.gov> ;
jo.oldson at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:jo.oldson at legis.iowa.gov> ;
todd.prichard at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:todd.prichard at legis.iowa.gov> ;
sharon.steckman at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:sharon.steckman at legis.iowa.gov> ;
john.wills at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:john.wills at legis.iowa.gov> ;
matt.windschitl at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:matt.windschitl at legis.iowa.gov> 

 

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