[DSM-Iowa] FW: SB 53

[m.barber817 at gmail.com]

Please send a similar leter to these people about this saccessible boting
absentee ballot soon.

 

Michael

 

From: m.barber817 at gmail.com <m.barber817 at gmail.com> 
Sent: Wednesday, March 3, 2021 10:12 AM
To: claire.celsi at legis.iowa.gov; roby.smith at legis.iowa.gov;
chris.cournoyer at legis.iowa.gov; tony.bisignano at legis.iowa.gov;
zach.whiting at legis.iowa.gov
Cc: 'Scott Van Gorp' <svangorp at nfbi.org>; 'Don Wirth' <don.wirth at gmail.com>;
'Carrie Chapman' <c.chapman657 at yahoo.com>; 'Jane Hudson'
<jhudson at driowa.org>; paul.pate at sos.iowa.gov
Subject: SB 53
Sensitivity: Personal

 

Hi Senator Selsi:  Could you please give immediate attention to the bill
below?

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

 

I urge you to please add the following language to the bill discuss in the
State Government bill on behalf of a bill which discussed accessible
absentee ballots for people who are blind before the funnel this Friday.  In
my opinion, this is much too slow, so if you can speed it up, that would be
preferable.

 

 

 

Section 1. NEW SECTION. 53.4 Absentee ballot marking pilot program.

1. The state commissioner shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to
implement a pilot program to establish procedures to enable a voter with a
disability that prevents the voter from marking a ballot by hand to
independently and privately mark a ballot or use an electronic voting device
that produces a paper record using nonvisual access, low-vision access, or
other assistive technology in order for the voter to complete an absentee
ballot by mail pursuant to this chapter.

The procedures shall include a method by which a voter with a disability
that prevents the voter from marking a ballot by hand to request an absentee
ballot by mail. The state commissioner shall consult with the Iowa council
of the united blind and the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa in
evaluating assistive technology to be used in the pilot program.

2. If the pilot program under this section is not implemented statewide, the
pilot program shall include sufficient counties, as determined by the state
commissioner, to conclude whether the program is feasible statewide.

3. The state commissioner shall file a report with the general assembly by
December 31 of each year regarding the pilot program established under this
section.

4. This section is repealed July 1, 2023.

5. This act being deemed of immediate importance takes effect upon
enactment.

 

Thank you.

 

Cordially,

Michael D. Barber

2880 Grand Avenue

Unit 503

Des Moines, IA  50312

 

(515) 284-1569

 

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