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<b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br><br>
CONTACT:<br>
</b>Chris Danielsen<br>
Director of Public Relations<br>
National Federation of the Blind<br>
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<br>
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<br>
<a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><br><br>
<div align="center"><h1><b>National Federation of the Blind Applauds
Affirmation of Ruling on Access to Absentee Ballots</b></h1></div>
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<b>Baltimore, Maryland (February 9, 2016):</b> The National Federation of
the Blind, the nation's leading advocate for equal access to voting by
the blind, today applauded a ruling by the United States Court of Appeals
for the Fourth Judicial Circuit. The ruling in National Federation of the
Blind et al. vs. Linda H. Lamone et al. upheld a
<a href="https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-applauds-ruling-access-absentee-ballots">
lower court ruling</a> requiring the state of Maryland to make an
accessible online ballot-marking tool available to blind voters who
wished to vote by absentee ballot.<br><br>
Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
said: "The right to vote is a fundamental one, and equal access to
this right cannot and must not be denied to blind Americans. Today's
ruling affirms that blind voters must have equal access to all methods of
voting that are generally available to other voters, and that equal
access means the ability to mark and cast our ballots privately and
independently, without being forced to rely on assistance from others.
This historic ruling protects the rights of the blind voters of Maryland,
and sets the stage for full and equal access to voting by blind people
across the nation."<br><br>
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<b>About the National Federation of the Blind <br><br>
</b>The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.<br><br>
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