[Tall-Corn] Des Moines Register Editorial on Accessible Absentee Ballots

Tue Sep 29 01:37:19 UTC 2020

Good evening Federation Family:
I'm pasting the text of the following article that appeared in yesterday's
Des Moines Register. While the editor did a good job capturing the essence
of the issue, we are disappointed that mention of the fact that the ADA
superseded state law was left out of the final version. You can find this at
the following link.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2020/09
/27/absentee-voting-isnt-accessible-disabled-iowans-but-we-can-fix/350396900
1/  

Blind and disabled Iowans should not have to risk their lives to vote
The fact that blind and other disabled Iowans cannot take advantage of
absentee voting independently is not only a violation of law, but of our
rights as citizens of this great country.
Carrie Chapman, Scott Van Gorp and Jane HudsonIowa View contributors
Did you know that absentee ballots are not accessible for the more than
50,000 Iowans who are blind or have significant vision loss, even with
corrective lenses? These ballots are often not accessible to people with
other disabilities as well. 

Iowa's current absentee ballot system relies on printed paper ballots that
cannot be read privately or independently by voters who are blind or
visually impaired. As a result, these Iowans must vote either in person
during a pandemic or rely on another person to help them fill out Iowa's
paper-only absentee ballots. 

As the current presidents of the Iowa Council of the United Blind and the
National Federation of the Blind of Iowa, we are extremely troubled by the
lack of options in Iowa for members of the blind community to safely and
privately vote. We are risking our health if we vote in person. We are
losing our self-sufficiency and right to a secret ballot if we must rely on
others to fill out the printed paper absentee ballot.  We want the chance to
vote absentee, not just during the November election during a pandemic, but
in any other election where we may not be able to vote in person. If other
Iowans can vote absentee, why can't those of us with disabilities?
Michael Barber, the former president of the National Federation of the Blind
of Iowa, feels he is being disenfranchised once again because he has no
safe, independent and private way to vote. During most of his life, he could
not vote privately and independently because polling places did not have
accessible voting machines. Then, as a result of the debacle in the 2000
Bush/Gore election, Congress passed election reform laws that included
requirements that all polling places have accessible voting machines.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Mr. Barber feels that his polling
place is not safe; nor can he read or fill out Iowa's paper absentee
ballots. Once again, Mr. Barber and the more than 50,000 Iowans who are
blind, visually impaired or disabled are being disenfranchised during the
COVID-19 pandemic. As Jane Hudson, executive director of Disability Rights
Iowa says, "Choosing between safety and independence is really no choice at
all."
But, there is a solution. Iowa should immediately institute a ballot-marking
system that can be used by blind, visually impaired and disabled voters in
the upcoming November election and other future elections. Accessible
ballot-marking systems typically work as follows:

The voter with a visual impairment or disability asks the county auditor to
send an absentee ballot electronically because the voter cannot read or fill
out a printed paper ballot due to the voter's impairment.
The county auditor sends an electronic version of the absentee ballot to the
voter.
The voter uses their own computer software to read, fill out, and print the
absentee ballot on paper.
The voter then delivers the printed absentee ballot to the county auditor
through the U.S. mail or in person in the envelopes provided by the county
auditor. (Ballot-marking systems are NOT the same as online voting, because
the voter is not returning their absentee ballot to the auditor
electronically.)
As a result of strong advocacy, and even lawsuits, brought by organizations
like the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the
Blind, at least 20 other states have come into compliance with the Help
America Vote Act and the prohibitions against disability-based
discrimination in the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act. Their election officials have created their own
ballot-marking systems or used systems such as those already developed by
Democracy Live or VotingWorks. These systems are secure and have federal
security certifications. Based on their experience, accessible
ballot-marking systems can be put in place in less than a week, more than
enough time before the Nov. 3 general election.
Carrie Chapman
The Iowa Secretary of State has told us that he must wait for the state
Legislature to approve a ballot-marking system. However, legislative
approval of a ballot-marking system is not required because federal
anti-discrimination laws supersede any state laws. Nevertheless, we would
appreciate any support Iowa legislators could provide in making a
ballot-marking system a reality for blind, visually impaired and disabled
Iowans.

Scott Van Gorp
Voting is one of the most important responsibilities we have in our
political process. The fact that blind and other disabled Iowans cannot take
advantage of absentee voting independently is not only a violation of law,
but of our rights as citizens of this great country. We will no longer stand
aside and watch the opportunity to vote pass us by. We should not be asked
to risk our lives to vote privately and independently.

Jane Hudson
Carrie Chapman is the president of the Iowa Council of the United Blind.
Scott Van Gorp is the president of the National Federation of the Blind of
Iowa. Jane Hudson is the executive director of Disability Rights Iowa.

There's more to say after reviewing the above article, but it's going to
take all of us to collectively raise the issue, and that's exactly what we
intend to do. More information on our next steps will be coming soon. One
other thing to note is that there are two billboards in Des Moines that also
speak to the issue, so we're right out there where the public can see our
message as they drive by!
As I said, action is critical now more than ever, and we'll get the
appropriate information out very soon. Please feel free to reach out if
there are any questions!

Scott Van Gorp, President
National Federation of the Blind of Iowa
Phone: 515-720-5282
Email
Website 
Facebook 
Twitter 
Live the life you want.

The National Federation of the Blind of Iowa 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.

-----Original Message-----
From: SCOTT VAN GORP <s_vangorp at msn.com> 
Sent: Monday, September 28, 2020 6:45 PM
To: Scott Van Gorp <svangorp at nfbi.org>
Subject: 

Iowa should immediately institute a ballot-marking system that can be used
by blind, visually impaired and disabled voters in the November election.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2020/09
/27/absentee-voting-isnt-accessible-disabled-iowans-but-we-can-fix/350396900
1/

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