[NFBF-Daytona] State, advocacy group reach deal on blind voters

[PLipovsky]

Yes, we are very lucky to have  Lisa.  As we all know, she has always been
ready and willing to work with the disabled community.

 

Thank you so very much Lisa, and a big thanks to Florida Council of the
Blind for pushing this through.

 

PL 

 

From: Brian Norton <brian.edward.norton at outlook.com> 
Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2020 7:40 AM
To: PLipovsky <plipovsky at cfl.rr.com>; NFB of Florida Greater Daytona Beach
Chapter List <nfbf-daytona at nfbnet.org>
Cc: dhall318 at cfl.rr.com; ndbh16 at gmail.com; Lisa Lewis <llewis at volusia.org>;
Leonard Lempel <lempel7749 at gmail.com>; Marilyn Baldwin <commmdb at aol.com>;
ctate2076 at att.net; merryschoch at verizon.net
Subject: RE: State, advocacy group reach deal on blind voters

 

Thanks Trish for posting this good news. I am glad Volusia has an
knowledgeable and responsive election supervisor Lisa Lewis.

Gratefully,

Brian

Brian Edward Norton

National Federation of the Blind of Florida

NFBF Greater Daytona Beach President

NFBF Deaf Blind Division President

386.871.3359

brian.edward.norton at outlook.com <mailto:brian.edward.norton at outlook.com> 

Apostle Paul:

We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

2 Corinthians 4:18

 

 

 

From: PLipovsky <plipovsky at cfl.rr.com <mailto:plipovsky at cfl.rr.com> > 
Sent: Monday, July 27, 2020 8:17 PM
To: PLipovsky <plipovsky at cfl.rr.com <mailto:plipovsky at cfl.rr.com> >
Subject: FW: State, advocacy group reach deal on blind voters

 

>From WJXT

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A deal finalized over the weekend will allow blind
voters to fill out ballots secretly at home, putting an end to a broader
legal tangle over Florida's vote-by-mail processes.

The deal, finalized Sunday by the Florida Council of the Blind and Secretary
of State Laurel Lee, will require five counties -- Miami-Dade, Nassau,
Orange, Pinellas and Volusia -- to implement a program allowing blind and
print-impaired voters to fill out ballots online.

 

The agreement also requires statewide implementation of the process by March
2022.

The five counties agreed to have the system in time for the Nov. 3
elections, according to Florida Council of the Blind lawyer Matthew Dietz.

"Voting by secret ballot is essential to the integrity of the electoral
process as it allows voters to cast their ballot without fear or
intimidation," Dietz said in a prepared statement Monday.

The agreement was finalized on the 30th anniversary of the federal Americans
with Disabilities Act, Dietz noted.

More than 500,000 Floridians are blind, and hundreds of thousands of others
are print-impaired, he said.

"For my clients who are blind, and those with other print disabilities who
need to use technology to complete a ballot, a paper ballot did not allow
them the same benefits and privileges of every other citizen. This
settlement provides the means to do so," Dietz said.

The issue was part of a broader legal case in which the groups Priorities
USA and Dream Defenders and other plaintiffs sought to make changes to help
expand voting by mail. The plaintiffs sought to extend a deadline for
mail-in ballots to be returned to elections supervisors and wanted free
postage for absentee ballots. They also challenged a provision in Florida
law restricting paid workers from collecting mail-in ballots. But the day
before a trial was slated to begin last week, U.S. District Judge Robert
Hinkle signed off on a settlement.

Under the settlement, Lee will "educate" and "encourage" county supervisors
of elections about a variety of vote-by-mail procedures that were at the
heart of the case. For example, the state's top elections official will be
required to educate supervisors about pre-paid postage for mail-in ballots.

The settlement also will encourage local elections officials "to maximize
the use of drop boxes for vote-by-mail ballots" and to inform voters about
the availability of the ballot drop-off sites.

 

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