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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><b>How to make voting more accessible for people with disabilities<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>By Sarah, Abbamonte, Megan Mack, Julie Williams<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Published September 13, 2024 at 2:51 PM EDT<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Listen • 51:38<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><img width=880 height=660 style='width:9.1666in;height:6.875in' id="Picture_x0020_20" src="cid:image001.jpg@01DB0C0C.C541B440" alt="Three smiling women sit in front of microphones at a table in a radio talk studio: the woman on the left has long grey hair and is wearing a white short sleeved dress with a colorful geometric pattern on the bodice; the woman in the center has dark hair in a ponytail and is wearing glasses on the top of her head, a black patterned shirt and a black blazer; the woman on the right has chin length dark hair and is wearing a white short sleeved t-shirt and army green pants."><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><i>Julie Williams<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i>/<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i>WXXI News<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class=MsoNormal>Jackie Ortiz and Lisa Nicolay with guest host Sarah Abbamonte on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Friday, September 13, 2024<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><img width=880 height=1173 style='width:9.1666in;height:12.2187in' id="Picture_x0020_19" src="cid:image002.jpg@01DB0C0C.C541B440" alt="A smiling woman wearing with chin length dark hair wearing a short sleeved white t-shirt sits in front of a microphone at a table in a radio talk studio."><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><i>Julie Williams<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i>/<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i>WXXI News<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class=MsoNormal>Sarah Abbamonte guest hosting "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Friday, September 13, 2024<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For Disability Voting Rights Week: The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) found that one in seven voters with disabilities reported difficulties voting in the 2022 midterm elections, and the likelihood of encountering difficulties voting was 14 percent higher as a disabled voter than for a nondisabled voter.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>What are some of the challenges facing New York voters and what is Monroe County doing to ensure greater accessibility at the polls?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Guest host Sarah Abbamonte explores the issues with our guests:<o:p></o:p></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'>Lisa Nicolay, Republican commissioner for the <a href="https://www.monroecounty.gov/elections" target="_blank">Monroe County Board of Elections</a><o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'>Jackie Ortiz, Democratic commissioner for the <a href="https://www.monroecounty.gov/elections" target="_blank">Monroe County Board of Elections</a><o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'>BJ Stasio, board member for the <a href="https://sanys.org/region/western-buffalo/" target="_blank">Western Region of the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State</a><o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal>This story is reported from WXXI’s <a href="http://wxxinews.org/term/inclusion-desk-0" target="_blank">Inclusion Desk</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/show/connections">Connections</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/megan-mack"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=150 height=200 style='width:1.5625in;height:2.0833in' id="Picture_x0020_18" src="cid:image003.jpg@01DB0C0C.C541B440"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/megan-mack">Megan Mack</a><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/megan-mack">See stories by Megan Mack</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/julie-williams">Julie Williams</a><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson" and is also the office administrator for radio, news and technology and operations. She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/julie-williams">See stories by Julie Williams</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Meet the team behind Connections<o:p></o:p></b></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/evan-dawson"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=60 height=80 style='width:.625in;height:.8333in' id="Picture_x0020_17" src="cid:image004.jpg@01DB0C0C.C541B440" alt="A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a black button-down shirt and grey blazer"></span></a><o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal><b><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/evan-dawson">Evan Dawson</a><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>'Connections' host<o:p></o:p></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/megan-mack"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=60 height=80 style='width:.625in;height:.8333in' id="Picture_x0020_16" src="cid:image005.jpg@01DB0C0C.C541B440"></span></a><o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal><b><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/megan-mack">Megan Mack</a><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Executive producer of 'Connections' and live/televised engagement programming<o:p></o:p></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'><b><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/julie-williams">Julie Williams</a><o:p></o:p></b></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal>Associate Producer<o:p></o:p></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/robert-braden"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=60 height=80 style='width:.625in;height:.8333in' id="Picture_x0020_15" src="cid:image006.jpg@01DB0C0C.C541B440" alt="Robert Braden"></span></a><o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal><b><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/robert-braden">Robert Braden</a><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Technical Producer & Board Operator<o:p></o:p></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/david-griffin"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=60 height=80 style='width:.625in;height:.8333in' id="Picture_x0020_14" src="cid:image007.jpg@01DB0C0C.C541B440" alt="A man sitting in front of radio equipment"></span></a><o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal><b><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/david-griffin">David Griffin</a><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Volunteer<o:p></o:p></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/gary-pudup"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=60 height=80 style='width:.625in;height:.8333in' id="Picture_x0020_13" src="cid:image008.jpg@01DB0C0C.C541B440" alt="A man wearing a suit and tie"></span></a><o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal><b><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/gary-pudup">Gary Pudup</a><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Volunteer<o:p></o:p></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/mari-tsuchiya"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=60 height=80 style='width:.625in;height:.8333in' id="Picture_x0020_12" src="cid:image009.png@01DB0C0C.C541B440" alt="A photo of a person with their dog"></span></a><o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal><b><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/mari-tsuchiya">Mari Tsuchiya</a><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Volunteer<o:p></o:p></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/george-yeadon"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=60 height=80 style='width:.625in;height:.8333in' id="Picture_x0020_11" src="cid:image010.jpg@01DB0C0C.C541B440" alt="portrait of man in suit and tie"></span></a><o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal><b><a href="https://www.wxxinews.org/people/george-yeadon">George Yeadon</a><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Volunteer<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>