Should Congress implement measures to increase voter accessibility for seniors and persons with disabilities?
This bill would make voting systems and polling places more accessible to seniors and those with disabilities. It would create the Office of Accessibility in the Election Assistance Commission to oversee and support state efforts to increase voter accessibility. This bill would establish the National Resource Center on Accessible Voting to conduct cultural competency training for election officials and poll workers. This bill provides voting information and resources through accessible websites, allows individuals to register to vote online, submit no excuse absentee ballots, address long lines, and offer mobile polling sites. The Office of Accessibility would offer $100 million in state grants every 2 years to implement these voter access upgrades.
Sponsor: Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (Democrat, Pennsylvania, District 5)
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Opponents say
• "The problem with voter assistance is that all too often it’s illegal assistance. What all too often happens with this kind of assistance is it’s not folks going in and assisting them, it’s people going in and saying, here’s how you need to vote." Source: Hans von Spakovsky (Manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative, Heritage Foundation)
Proponents say
• "The right to vote is the bedrock of our democracy, but too often Americans face unnecessary barriers to accessing the ballot box. When it comes to voting rights, older Americans and Americans with disabilities are frequently overlooked. The Accessible Voting Act will support states in the important work of improving voter accessibility, and make it easier for older Americans and people with disabilities to get voting information, request mail-in ballots, and access voter registration and absentee ballot applications. We must ensure that every eligible American can exercise their right to vote without undue burden." Source: Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (Democrat, Pennsylvania, District 5)
• "The Accessible Voting Act is absolutely essential for the 14 million people living with disabilities, for the quarter of the population that is now over age 65, for Native Americans and Alaska Natives, indigenous peoples, and others who have traditionally faced accessibility obstacles, language barriers, and discrimination within our voting system. I’m proud our legislation will address these systemic deficiencies so we can make sure everyone is able to vote regardless of a disability, where you live, or what language you speak." Source: Rep. Jamie Raskin (Democrat, Maryland, District 8)
- Scanlon, Raskin, Casey, Klobuchar Introduce Legislation to Remove Barriers to Voting for Seniors and People With Disabilities
- Curbside voting ban becomes Alabama law with Gov. Kay Ivey’s signature (Alabama)
- ‘A Failed System’: What It’s Like to Vote With a Disability During a Pandemic (New York Times)
- Voting Laws Roundup: May 2021 (Brennan Center for Justice)
- Texas House Passes GOP-Backed Election Bill (Wall Street Journal)
