[NFBF-L] Accessible Vote By Mail Letter

[ctate2076 at att.net]

Greetings Federationists: 

 

Last night we held our NFB 411 Legislative Call. Thanks to all who attended
to hear Lou Ann Blake and Jeff Keloc from our National Office. In light of
the recent settlement over accessible Vote By Mail, we have prepared a
letter for each of our members to use when contacting their local Supervisor
of Elections. I have pasted the letter template into the body of this email
and have also attached it to this message. 

 

Our plan is for all of us to email, mail or drop off this letter to our
Supervisors of Elections. Feel free to do it in each of these ways. It is
vitally important that our voices be heard regarding our right to vote
privately and independently. If you do not know how to get in touch with
your Supervisor of Elections, please reach out to me, using the information
below in my signature. 

 

Let's go fight for our right to vote privately and independently! 

 

Warmly,

Camille Tate

Dear Supervisor of Elections: 

 

My name is [insert name]. I am a member of the [insert name of chapter] of
the National Federation of the Blind of Florida. We are a proud member of
the National Federation of the Blind, the nation's oldest and largest
organization of the blind. I am an eligible voter in [name of county], and I
am writing to you regarding the lack of an accessible way for me and other
voters with print disabilities in this county to Vote absentee. I strongly
urge you to rectify this inequity by implementing an electronic ballot
delivery system for the November 3, 2020 general election.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised great concerns regarding the safety of
voting at a polling precinct. Without an accessible way to mark an absentee
ballot, blind voters and other voters with print disabilities are forced to
choose between risking their health by voting at a polling place, giving up
their right to a secret ballot by telling their choices to a friend or
family member and trusting that person to mark the inaccessible paper ballot
as instructed, or not voting at all. Forcing a blind voter to make this
choice does not meet the requirement of the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) that voters with disabilities be provided an opportunity to vote
privately and independently that is equal to the opportunity provided to
voters without disabilities. 

 

Florida has recently certified Democracy Live as a platform for electronic
ballot delivery. Electronic ballot delivery systems enable blind voters to
mark an absentee ballot privately and independently using a computer
equipped with assistive technology, such as a screen reader, screen
magnification, or a refreshable Braille display. Once a voter has marked
their ballot, it can either be printed by the voter and sent by regular
mail, or dropped off at the Supervisor of Elections' office. Because many
voters do not have ready access to a printer, electronic ballot delivery
systems can also offer the option to download the ballot and email it as an
attachment to the Supervisor's office. 

 

The right to cast a private and independent vote is a cornerstone of our
democracy. Therefore, I strongly urge your office to procure an electronic
ballot delivery system in time for the 2020 general election so that I, as a
blind voter, may cast my absentee ballot privately and independently, as
required by the ADA. Voters with print disabilities should not have to
choose between risking our health to vote at a polling place, giving up our
right to a secret ballot by having someone mark a paper absentee ballot for
us, or not voting at all. The implementation of an electronic ballot
delivery system that is accessible to the blind and print disabled allows us
to continue to exercise our right as blind voters to vote and is a way to
remain safe and healthy.  

 

I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to discussing
this issue with you. Please feel free to contact me to discuss this vitally
important matter. 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Sincerely, 

 

Camille Tate 

President, Melbourne Space Coast Chapter, National Federation of the Blind,
FL 

Board of Directors, National Federation of the Blind, FL 

Email: ctate2076 at att.net <mailto:ctate2076 at att.net>  

Phone: 321 372 4899 

 

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