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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><br><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><o:p></o:p></p><h1 align=center style='text-align:center'>National Federation of the Blind Applauds Affirmation of Ruling on Access to Absentee Ballots<o:p></o:p></h1><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'> <br><br><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> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:center'><b>###</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <br><br><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> <br><br> <o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>