Accessible Voting for All

THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS, MAYBE 3 MONTHS AWAY. BUT THIS COMING MONDAY ON JULY, 20TH IS THE DEADLINE FOR YOU TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN THE FLORIDA PRIMARY. THE PRIMARY IS AUGUST 18TH AND SOME KEY RACES WILL BE DECIDED PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES MAKE UP A GROWING PORTION OF VOTERS WHO WILL HELP DECIDE SOME OF THOSE RACES. RUTGERS UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS ESTIMATE MORE THAN 40 MILLION AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES WERE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN THE 2024 ELECTION. JULY IS DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH. THAT MARKS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. AND WHILE THE ADA HAS HELPED WITH VOTER ACCESSIBILITY, WE ARE EXAMINING THE CHALLENGES. SOME FLORIDIANS STILL FACE TO GET TO THE POLLS AND CAST THEIR BALLOTS. JOINING ME NOW IS AURELIE MENU. A PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST FOR DISABILITY RIGHTS, FLORIDA. LAURA, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. >> YEAH, HAPPY TO BE HERE. >> CAN YOU DESCRIBE HOW A DISABILITIES ACTUALLY DEFINED AND THEN HOW MANY PEOPLE IN FLORIDA ARE CONSIDERED DISABLED? YEAH, SURE. SO. >> UNDER THE SPECIFICALLY. >> A DISABILITY IS TO FIND BASED UPON A FEW FACTORS. ONE OF THOSE THEM THE MOST NOTABLE BEING THE UP. INABILITY TO COMPLETE ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING. SO IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT IMPACT FOR YOUR ABILITY TO COMPLETE SOMETHING THAT IS ESSENTIAL TO YOUR LIFE. AND THAT COULD REALLY BE ANYTHING FOR ME. I'M A WHEELCHAIR. USER SAW JUST USE MYSELF AS AN EXAMPLE. SO THE INABILITY TO WALK COULD BE SOMETHING WAS FEATURE REALLY IS OPENLY TO FIND A ADDITIONALLY. THE ADA ALSO SAYS THAT IF YOU HAD THOSE CONSIDERATIONS AT ANY POINT IN YOUR LIFE AND THAT IS DOCUMENTED. I'M AND THEN 3RD FIND A WAY THAT. THE DISABILITY AS DEFINED UNDER THE ADA IS. THAT. SOMEBODY ELSE PERCEIVES US HAVING A DISABILITY. YOU ALSO CAN YOU COULD BE CONSIDERED DISABLED, SOLACE. LET'S SAY YOU'RE IN AN EMPLOYMENT SITUATION WHERE? AND YOU ARE. YOU ARE SEEKING YEAR. YOU FEELING DISCRIMINATED AGAINST AND SOMEBODY SAYS TO YOU THAT THEY DON'T FEEL THAT YOU CAN COMPLETE A JOB BECAUSE OF A PERCEIVED DISABILITY THAT THEY THINK YOU HAVE. YOU COULD ALSO BE COVERED UNDER THE ADA. WHAT THE DOESN'T COVER IS TEMPORARY DISABILITIES. SO BROKEN LEGS, THINGS LIKE THAT. THOSE ARE UNCOVERED. >> HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE MAIN CHALLENGE IS THAT THAT ARE FACING THOSE WHO NEED ACCOMMODATIONS TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE. >> THAT'S A REALLY GOOD THERE ACTUALLY, SEVERAL CHALLENGES IN AND I PROBABLY WALL AND A SHORT SEGMENT BE ABLE TO NAME THEM ALL. BUT BUT THE MAIN ONES THAT WE SEE ALL ARE POLLING PLACE, ACCESSIBILITY, SO PHYSICAL POLLING PLACE ACCESS AND THE INABILITY WHETHER THAT IS A CHARGE FOR SOMEWHERE. THAT'S NOT I COVERED BY THE ADA AND THE ABILITY TO GET INTO THE ACTUAL POLLING PLACE. WHETHER THAT NOT ENOUGH DISABLED PARKING COULD BE A ON A MACHINE THAT'S NOT AT THE RIGHT HEIGHT WHERE SOMEBODY COULD REACH IT. THERE'S A LOT OF A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THAT COULD BE. THERE'S ALSO JUST SORT OF. THE BARRIER FOR FOLKS IN TIMES OF. DISABILITY, THEN VIEWED AS A VOTING BLOC IN GENERAL. SO AND YOU ASKED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE IN FLORIDA ARE CONSIDERED THE SABLE. THAT THAT'S KIND OF A HARD QUESTION TO ANSWER. GENERALLY, THOUGH, ON IT'S CONSIDERED. ON A NATIONAL LEVEL. AND WE SEE THOSE STATS FROM FLORIDA. IT'S ABOUT 25% OF THE POPULATION. SO YOU TAKE THE VOTING AGE THAT'S ROUGHLY. LAST TIME WE CALCULATED ROUGHLY LIKE FORM 5 MILLION FOLKS. AND AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT NUMBER INCREASING ALL THE TIME. AND THEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THEIR FAMILIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE YOU HAVE THIS HUGE VOTING BLOC. BUT A LOT OF TIMES THE POWER OF THIS IS THE LA TIVO AND THIS VOTING ISSUES AREN'T EVEN CONSIDERED. SO CAMPAIGNS COULD NOT BE ACCESSIBLE. SOMETIMES WHETHER THAT'S THEIR MATERIALS THAT THEY'RE PUTTING OUT, WHETHER THAT IS A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY WANTING TO VOLUNTEER. I'VE HAD IN THE PAST SO JOY SONS, MYSELF, WHERE I AND COLLAGEN AND YOUNGER WANTED TO GO ANTTI RAANTA CAMPAIGNS AND THERE WAS REALLY JUST NOTHING THAT THAT THEY HAD PREPARED THAT I COULD DO BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, DOOR KNOCKING AND THINGS LIKE THAT WEREN'T HARD WERE HARD FOR ME. BUT THERE WAS NO OTHER ACCOMMODATION. SO THERE IS KIND OF THAT INVISIBLE OVER ANOTHER ONE THAT WE ALSO SEE IS I CO WORKERS AND THE FACT THE POLL WORKERS AREN'T ALWAYS TRAINS OR IF THEY ARE TRAINED. THEIR TRAINING IS VERY MINIMAL. ON DISABILITY. SO EVERY POLL WORKER HAS TO BE TRAINED, RIGHT? BUT BACK AND THE TRAINING CAN DIFFER FROM COUNTY TO COUNTY AND IT CAN DIFFER ARE FROM A PERSON TO PERSON JUST IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY WHAT THEY TAKE OUT OF IT. BUT IT COULD DEFINITELY BE BEEFED UP AND MORE EXCITEMENT, MORE ACCESSIBLE AND MORE RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. >> CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW TO KINDS OF ACCESSIBLE VOTING MACHINES HELPED CREATE THAT ACCESS FOR DISABLED VOTERS IN FLORIDA. >> YES, ABSOLUTELY >> WHAT YOUR AIRCRAFT WE HAVE 2 DIFFERENT TYPES OF. >> ACCESSIBLE VOTING MACHINES THAT ARE USED N FLORIDA HAD THE IMAGE CAST AND THE EXPRESS PHONE THAT WILL VARY BY COUNTY, WHICH ONE IS USED. THEY WORK VERY SIMILARLY, DON. THEY AND HAVE A FEW DIFFERENT FEATURES THAT WELL ALLOW THEM TO WORK. SO AND THEY ARE TOUCH SCREEN AND THEY'RE ALSO THEY ALSO CAN BE UTILIZED BY FOOT PEDALS FOR THOSE THAT HAVE TROUBLE WITH THEIR ARMS. THEY CAN ALSO BE USED BY SOMETHING, PAUL, THE 2ND HALF. SO SOME PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, IF THEY DON'T HAVE FUNCTION. AND OF OTHER LANDS. SO USE A STRONG IT KINDA LOOKS LIKE A STRAW THAT AND THAT CAN ALSO BE HOOKED UP TO THE MACHINE. SO WHAT THAT DOES IS YOU'LL HAVE YOUR BALLOT. ELECTRONICALLY ON THE SCENE JUST LIKE A PAPER BALLOT AND THEY'LL BE ABLE TO GO THROUGH AND MAKE YOUR CHOICES. AND THEN IT'LL AND LET YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW. AFTER YOU VOTED THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND MAKE THE SELECTION OF US ANYTHING. BUT ALSO ADDITIONALLY, THEY CAN RE TU. SO THOSE WERE LANGUAGE BARRIERS OR DISABILITIES THAT IMPACT THEIR ABILITY TO READ CAN HAVE ABOUT RED TO THEM AS WELL. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY THIS MINUTE. HELLO. >> YES, ABSOLUTELY.