[NFBMT] Legislative Alert: HB 643 ... good news so far!

[BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER]

Hello, fellow Montana Federationists.

 

This morning, after hearing testimony from proponents, opponents, and
informational witnesses regarding HB 643, a bill allowing a disabled voter to
electronically return a ballot, the House State Administration Committee
passed HB 643 out of committee and back to the Senate floor unanimously by a
vote of 30 to 0.  There was a lively discussion regarding the definition of a
disabled voter according to this bill, what needs to be upgraded or
implemented in order to make an electronic ballot usable by someone with a
disability from start to finish without any assistance, what the security
concerns are and how they are being addressed, whether voters with
disabilities can vote with whatever technology they have or if that will need
to be provided, and if so, at what cost.  There were a few proponents there
who could speak to the questions regarding how a disabled voter uses
technology, including a sip-and-puff device that enables a person without the
use of their arms or hands to communicate with a computer or a wheelchair or
many other devices.  A question was raised regarding whether ballots for the
disabled are available in Braille.  I thought the discussion was positive and
animated, and the legislators were eager to learn about how voters with
disabilities use technology, and how it is constantly improving.  

 

With the imminent signing of sb 15 by the Governor, the more updated
definition of a person with a disability will supersede the more outdated one
in this bill.  This will be the finishing touch to bill HB 400 that passed in
2015.  Providing HB 643 passes, the Secretary of State's office hopes to have
an online ballot retrieval system in place by January, 2022.  What a game
changer this will be.  Thanks to everyone who advocated for this.  

 

Those who are interested can listen to the archived recording the next day at


http://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/00309/Harmony/en/View/Calendar/20210104/-1

Just choose March 24 from the calendar and look for H State Administration
committee hearing.

 

This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people behind the
scenes, and just one more instance of how the NFB of Montana can help to turn
our dreams into reality.  Thanks everybody for your advocacy.

 

Joy Breslauer, Advocacy and Public Policy Committee Chair 

National Federation of the Blind of Montana 

Web Site: http://www.nfbofmt.org <http://www.nfbofmt.org/> 

 

Live the life you want

 

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want.