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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Good Evening Federation Family:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I mentioned at this year’s Iowa Caucus at national convention that we would be moving forward with efforts to secure the rights of blind and other disabled voters in Iowa to cast our votes privately and independently in all future elections. First a little history. A couple of weeks before convention, I was contacted by our national organization to discuss how we would move forward since our efforts in the Iowa legislature didn’t gain much traction this year. After some discussion, we thought that Iowa might be a good case for some attorneys at the US Department of Justice to look at since there has been increasing interest in voting matters, particularly around the rights of voters with disabilities. As a result, the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa and the National Federation of the Blind are working on gathering information to launch a complaint with the DOJ to hopefully convince our Secretary of State, Paul Pate, to comply with the Help America Vote Act and the ADA without the need for state legislation. I’ll also be enlisting the help of others who have been on this journey with us. This does not mean we are abandoning our state legislative efforts, however. This is just another tool for us to use. If you were at the caucus on July 9, you heard from Eve Hill, an attorney with tremendous experience both in and outside of the DOJ. She is likely going to be a key partner in this effort, and I hope all of you, and even more people outside of our organization will join us in making our voices heard on this important issue. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>So, how can you help? We need your stories of voting barriers you have faced, not just in the 2020 election, but any election. We need to hear how important it is to have the same voting rights as everyone else, whether voting in person on election day, voting early, or even voting absentee. Even if you have shared them with me or others before, we need to hear them again. Please send your stories to Valerie Yingling, Legal Programs Coordinator at the National Federation of the Blind. You may email her at<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:vyingling@nfb.org">vyingling@nfb.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>or you may call her at 410-659-9314 extension 2440.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>All of us have stories in some form, and those stories will only help to strengthen our case for private, secure, and independent voting in Iowa! If you need help sharing your story, please feel free to reach out and I’ll gladly help where I can. We’ve started the conversation, and I look forward to seeing where we go from here! There will be more information shared on this subject, but in the meantime, let’s go build the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa and secure our access to voting in all forms and in all future elections! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Scott Van Gorp, President<br>National Federation of the Blind of Iowa<br>Phone: 515-720-5282<br></span><a href="mailto:svangorp@nfbi.org"><span style='color:#0563C1'>Email</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.nfbi.org/"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Website</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br></span></i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/National-Federation-Of-the-Blind-Of-Iowa-372681823082570/posts"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Facebook</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br></span></i><a href="https://twitter.com/nfb_iowa"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Twitter</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br>Live the life you want.<br></span></i><br>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>