If you have a disability, you have just as much right as anyone else to participate in the electoral process. Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, your state's primary elections or caucus meetings give you a chance to tell your party your preferred candidate.
A primary is an election, similar to the general elections in November, in which party members cast their votes for the candidate they like best. (In some states, any registered voter can vote in either party's primary election, but in most states, you have to be affiliated to a party in order to vote in its primary.)
A caucus serves the same main purpose as a primary—selection of both party's candidates—but it uses a different format. A caucus is basically a neighborhood meeting. Your caucus location depends upon your address and party affiliation. In order to participate, you must be registered as a voter affiliated with that party, and you must show up on time and stay through the entire meeting.
Disability Law: Access to Vote
By law, elections must be accessible to people with disabilities. In a primary election, this means that you must be able to vote privately and independently, regardless of disabilities such as visual impairment or mobility limitation. Polling places must be wheelchair accessible, and the voting machines themselves must also be usable by people with disabilities. For example, if electronic voting machines are used, they must have features allowing blind people to get audio confirmation of their choices, and allowing those who can't operate buttons and levers to vote by voice, sip-and-puff, or some other hands-free mechanism. Such are the guarantees of the 2002 "Help America Vote Act," (HAVA).
ADA Accessible
HAVA does not specifically address caucuses, but these meetings are public activities and therefore are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). They must be held in accessible locations and must not discriminate against anyone with a disability. If you are deaf, your party has a legal obligation to provide you with a sign language interpreter if you make that request with adequate advance notice.
Exercise Your Disability Rights
How can you exercise your disability rights to play a part in these important decisions? First, find out when your state holds its primary or caucus.
Next, contact your local party officials, your city's election commission, or your state clerk and recorder's office to find out the location of your primary or caucus. You'll need to provide your name and home address in order to get this information.
Once you know where you are scheduled to vote, verify that the site is, in fact, accessible to you. Request the accommodations that you need in order to participate fully and equally. Sadly, because the fact that the law requires it does not necessarily mean that access and accommodations will automatically be in place. People with disabilities in several states have already had to engage in advocacy to demand compliance with the law. A few have even had to file lawsuits.
Know your rights, and be ready to fight for them. Then make your voice heard during this important election year.
