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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">
<DIV>Greetings to all!</DIV>
<DIV>I received the following article pertaining to the problems voting
independently.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Please share with others.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Note: We continue to work on the federal and state levels to provide
true
independent voting.</DIV>
<DIV>Again, thanks, Linda, Lou Ann and Mary.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Joe </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">We
care. We
share. We grow. We make a difference<BR>Joe Ruffalo, President <BR>National
Federation of the Blind of New Jersey <BR>973 743
0075<BR>nfbnj1@verizon.net<BR><A
href="http://www.nfbnj.org">www.nfbnj.org</A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Raising
Expectations To Live The Life You Want!</DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Your
old
car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.<BR>Donate your unwanted
vehicle
to us by clicking <BR>www.carshelpingtheblind.org <BR>or call 855 659
9314<BR></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">From:
Linda
Melendez</DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000"> </DIV>
<P id=docs-internal-guid-fd8b6e6a-7fff-422d-4509-826bd1883691
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38" dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap"><FONT face="Courier New"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Greetings Joe,</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P id=docs-internal-guid-fd8b6e6a-7fff-422d-4509-826bd1883691
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38" dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap"><BR></SPAN></P>
<P id=docs-internal-guid-fd8b6e6a-7fff-422d-4509-826bd1883691
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38" dir=ltr><FONT
face="Courier New"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: ; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Listed below is an article I wanted to share with
you
from </FONT></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: ; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 15.8pt">NorthJersey.com regarding accessible voting in New
Jersey. They interviewed myself, Mary Ciccone and Louann Blake from our
national
headquarters.</FONT></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P id=docs-internal-guid-fd8b6e6a-7fff-422d-4509-826bd1883691
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38" dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap"><BR></SPAN></P>
<P id=docs-internal-guid-fd8b6e6a-7fff-422d-4509-826bd1883691
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38" dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap"><FONT face="Courier New"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Warmly,</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P id=docs-internal-guid-fd8b6e6a-7fff-422d-4509-826bd1883691
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38" dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap"><FONT face="Courier New"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Linda Melendez, 1st Vice President
</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P id=docs-internal-guid-fd8b6e6a-7fff-422d-4509-826bd1883691
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38" dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap"><FONT face="Courier New"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">National Federation of the blind of New
Jersey</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P id=docs-internal-guid-fd8b6e6a-7fff-422d-4509-826bd1883691
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38" dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap"><FONT face="Courier New"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">732421 7063 </FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P id=docs-internal-guid-fd8b6e6a-7fff-422d-4509-826bd1883691
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38" dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap"><A
style='href: "mailto:lindamelendez220@gmsil.com"'><FONT face="Courier
New"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE:
16pt">lindamelendez220@gmsil.com</FONT></FONT></A></SPAN></P>
<P id=docs-internal-guid-fd8b6e6a-7fff-422d-4509-826bd1883691
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38" dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap"><BR></SPAN></P>
<P id=docs-internal-guid-fd8b6e6a-7fff-422d-4509-826bd1883691
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38" dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap"><FONT face="Courier New"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">****</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P id=docs-internal-guid-fd8b6e6a-7fff-422d-4509-826bd1883691
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38" dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap"><BR></SPAN></P>
<P id=docs-internal-guid-fd8b6e6a-7fff-422d-4509-826bd1883691
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38" dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap"><FONT face="Courier New"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Blind NJ residents are denied private, independent
votes
in 2020 election, advocates say</FONT></FONT></SPAN><BR></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Gene Myers
NorthJersey.com</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Linda Melendez would like
to
vote like everyone else: privately and
independently.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Being blind, she can fill
out a
ballot online using a screen reader. But then she has to print it and sign
it —
and she's back to square one. </FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">“If you don’t know where to
sign on the ballot you’re out of luck,” said Melendez, a Monmouth County
resident who lost her sight 20 years ago. “I have to ask somebody with sight
to
help me.”</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Blind voters are
frustrated.
They can't vote using this year's paper ballots, and their only other option
is
to use outdated, confusing audio devices that poll workers often don’t know
how
to attach to voting machines.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Voting is not accessible to
blind voters and voters with vision loss, advocates
said.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Mary Ciccone, director of
policy at Disability Rights New Jersey, said the audio devices, which
connect to
the voting machines to read ballots to voters wearing headphones, are the
most
common problem she sees when it comes to making voting
accessible.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Some of them are so old
they
still use audiocassettes, and the majority are awkward to handle and
confusing
to use, advocates said. </FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">They are intended to make
voting easier, but in reality they are “difficult to use” and “not
intuitive,”
she said. Furthermore, poll workers often don’t know how to set them up.
</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">She could 'feel the
daggers'</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Melendez had her son sit on
her
lap and help her vote for years. But one day she got fed up. Her son was
older
and in the army, and she decided she had the right to vote on her
own.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">She called ahead and told
poll
workers she was coming, and would need the machine that made it possible for
blind people to vote.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">“When I walked in they saw
the
cane and said, ‘Do you need assistance voting?’ I said, ‘No, I just need you
to
set up the equipment for me,” she said.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">The poll worker made “an
audible sigh,” said Melendez. “I said I called ahead and they were snotty
and
snippy with me. I heard the person call the county and I heard the other
person
on the phone say, ‘Can’t you just help her vote?’”</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">The county wanted the poll
worker to go into a booth and make selections for Melendez, she
said.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)"><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">“I heard it and just said,
‘Tell her no because I wish to exercise my privilege as a citizen to vote
independently and privately,” said Melendez. </FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">They continued to try to
urge
her to accept assistance, but Melendez stood her ground. She was “adamant
“about
her right to vote independently and privately.” All the while the line
behind
her grew and Melendez “could feel the daggers” of people staring at her
while
she made a scene. </FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Department of State staff
members did not return requests for comments.
</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Instances like this have
grown
through the years, said Lou Ann Blake, director of research programs at the
National Federation of the Blind in Maryland. </FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">“It’s a huge problem that
we
face,” Blake said. “You get to the polling place and the machine is not set
up
and it’s not set up because they don’t know how to set it up and operate it.
We’ve been doing a survey for blind voters in presidential elections since
2008
and this issue has gotten worse over the years. In 2016, our last poll, one
third of the voters said poll workers didn’t know how to set up or operate
the
machine. That is a huge problem.”</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">The right to
vote</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Ciccone has put a lot of
time
into working with election officials to make the voting process accessible.
She
rarely gets calls about polling sites that are not physically accessible.
There
are usually ramps. Even accessible parking is less of a problem these days.
Voters who need blue spaces often find them. Recognizing the voting rights
for
blind people is where the state is falling short, said
Ciccone. </FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">“I argue that it’s a
fundamental right,” she said.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Ciccone pointed to the 15th
amendment, which granted African Americans the right to vote, the 20th
amendment, which gave women the right to vote, and the 26th amendment, which
gave 18-year-olds the right to vote to back this
up.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">“Those amendments give you
the
absolute right to vote,” said Ciccone. “There is nothing in the constitution
that gives you the right to have a secret and independent ballot, however,
New
Jersey law against discrimination and the Americans with Disabilities Act
state
that you cannot discriminate against people with disabilities in the
programs
that a state and local government provide. So if you are giving the
opportunity
to people without disabilities to vote secretly and independently, you
should be
giving people with disabilities that same right.”</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">No matter which voting
option
she chooses, Melendez said the process is “cumbersome” for her. She needed
help
once again this year from her son, who helped her sign and mail her ballot.
</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">“I didn’t vote
independently or
secretly. It wasn’t really accessible for me,” she said, adding the state’s
“take it or leave it” solution was only halfway
there.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">An evolving solution
</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">In 2014, the National
Federation of the Blind (NFB) sued the state of Maryland, and that is why
things
are slowly changing, Blake said.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">The organization realized a
federal law, the Uniformed Citizens Overseas Absentee Voting Act — initially
developed to enable military voting while stationed abroad — was
exactly
what its clientele needed.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">“Many states developed and
started implementing electronic ballot delivery systems,” she said. “After
it
was used in one or two elections successfully, legislation was passed to
make
that system available to all absentee voters. That’s when the NFB got
involved
and brought a suit against the state of Maryland to make this system
available.”</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">The NFB won its case, which
was
appealed by security advocates with concerns about the integrity of the
returned
ballot. This is the argument most often levied against electronic return
systems, said Blake. </FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">“All of these security
concerns
are hypothetical. There’s no actual data to show that any of these systems
have
ever been breached or hacked in an election setting,” Blake said. “The judge
agreed with us. It was appealed and we won there too. The system was first
made
available to voters with disabilities in the 2015 election.”
</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">There are 27 states,
including
New Jersey, that use electronic ballots as a result of this suit. But only
three
states allow ballots to be returned electronically, making the process truly
accessible to disabled voters: Delaware, West Virginia and
Nevada.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Blake attributes the rarity
of
accessible voting to the fact that it’s still a relatively new
concept.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 03)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 138"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">“It’s difficult for some
people
to adapt to new systems. One small step at a time I guess,” Blake said.
“Also
some smaller jurisdictions don’t have the staff to be monitoring these
systems
They don’t have the staff to know how they work and how to upload things
safely
and establish best practices.”</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Blake, who is also blind,
can
empathize with Melendez's experiences. </FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><BR
style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26,
26, 26, 0.3)">
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.38"
dir=ltr><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; WHITE-SPACE: pre-wrap;
font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal"><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">“Why do people think it’s
OK
for a blind voter to have to tell their choices to someone and trust that
person
to mark their ballot for them?” she said. </FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><FONT
face="Times New Roman">-- <BR></FONT>
<DIV class=gmail_signature dir=ltr data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Respectfully,<BR>Linda Melendez, 1st Vice President
<BR>National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey <BR>Chair, Convention
Activities <BR>732-421-7063<BR></FONT><A
style='href: "mailto:lindamelendez220@gmailcom"'><FONT
face="Times New
Roman">lindamelendez220@gmail.com</FONT></A></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>