[GreaterPhilly] Fwd: [Chapter-Presidents] Blind Advocates Encourage More People to USE Ballot Marking Devices

[DENICE BROWN]

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> From: Daniel Garcia via Chapter-Presidents <chapter-presidents at nfbnet.org>
> Date: October 10, 2022 at 2:26:37 PM EDT
> To: "Chapter Presidents Mailing List (chapter-presidents at nfbnet.org)" <chapter-presidents at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Daniel Garcia <dangarcia3 at hotmail.com>
> Subject: [Chapter-Presidents] Blind Advocates Encourage More People to USE Ballot Marking Devices
> Reply-To: NFB Chapter Presidents discussion list <chapter-presidents at nfbnet.org>
> 
> 
> For Immediate Release
>  
> Blind Advocates Encourage More People to USE Ballot Marking Devices
>  
> Accessible Voting Machines Not Just for the Blind
>  
> Kansas City, Missouri (October 10, 2022): The National Federation of the Blind, the leading civil rights organization of the blind, has fought for two decades for the right of the blind to cast ballots independently and privately. Ahead of the November 8 elections, the NFB encourages the blind, seniors losing their vision, people with diminished motor skills, and people with other visible disabilities  to use accessible ballot marking devices to cast their votes. In many jurisdictions the paper ballot produced by the machine is a different size than those that are hand marked by the voter. Every voter is eligible to use the electronic machine. If only the one blind voter in a polling place is using the machine, their ballot is not secret.
>  
> There are many advantages of using the ballot marking device: there is no chance that voters can overvote by filling in too many spots in the same race or that they did not adequately fill in the circle for their candidate thus risking the vote not being counted. The voter will also be alerted if they do not vote in a race to give them the opportunity to go back and do so, if they wish. The machines do give the voter the opportunity to review their ballot before printing it. Ballots are not cast on the machines as they only mark the ballot, and the voters feed their ballot into the same ballot deposit machine as those filled out by hand. These machines, therefore, comply with HB1878 which declares the paper ballot as the official ballot of Missouri.
>  
> The Help America Vote Act recognizes the right of the blind to vote privately and independently by requiring that every polling location should have an accessible voting machine in all federal elections. Not only should there be a machine, but it should be plugged in and ready for voters to use. If the machine is not set up or not present, voters should insist that officials remedy the problem so a secret ballot can be cast. "The NFB of Missouri wants to know about blind people's voting experience, so we can work with election authorities to rectify any barriers to blind people being unable to vote independently," said Melissa Kane, who leads the NFB of Missouri's efforts to improve accessibility for blind voters. “Voting is an important part of our civic duty as Americans, and all people, regardless of whether or not they are blind, have the right to vote in a manner that is accessible to them. Please go out and vote on November 8TH and consider using the accessible ballot marking device”.
>  
> ###
>  
> About the National Federation of the Blind
>  
> The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), headquartered in Baltimore, is the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind Americans. Founded in 1940, the NFB consists of affiliates, chapters, and divisions in the fifty states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. The NFB defends the rights of blind people of all ages and provides information and support to families with blind children, older Americans who are losing vision, and more. We believe in the hopes and dreams of blind people and work together to transform them into reality. Learn more about our many programs and initiatives at www.nfb.org<http://www.nfb.org>.
>  
> CONTACT:
> Daniel Garcia, Public Relations Chair
> National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
> (816) 621-0902
> dgarcia at nfbmo.org
>  
>  
>  
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