Voters with disabilities face an inaccessible system (Essay Sample)

Voters with disabilities face an inaccessible system Name Date Introduction The right to vote in politics has historically been denied to voters with disabilities. As a result, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities addresses this issue and offers a comprehensive solution. Implementing and developing an impartial electoral system is the subject of Article 29. It also mandates that states grant voters with disabilities the right to vote and safeguard them during voting. However, disabled voters' voting rights and the scope and justification of exemptions receive little attention. Consequently, one of the most asked questions is how to make it possible for voters with disabilities to exercise their voting rights. Legislators or courts have not addressed this. However, current global practices demonstrate that individuals with disabilities can successfully participate in all phases of the electoral process. In addition to exercising their right to vote, they can act as candidates, members of committees, observers, members of election committees, and voter educators. This blog depicts how voters with disabilities face an inaccessible system. Infractions faced by voters with disabilities Throughout election seasons, the right to vote has been a central theme. Some voters have complained that they have been prevented from going to the polls. Disability-related individuals are one group that faces these difficulties during elections. Consequently, voting presents challenges for voters with disabilities; adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities may not know they have the right to vote. According to Syed (2022), voting at a polling place can be challenging for one in three voters with disabilities. According to Creighton 2021, 67.7 million disabled people in the United States are eligible to vote, which is more than one-fourth of the total electorate. One of the fundamental responsibilities of every citizen is the right to vote. When they cast their ballots, every voter is guaranteed that their interests and voices will be heard. However, some constitutions do not explicitly grant citizens the right to vote, which means that some citizens have fewer rights than others. It is essential to acknowledge that individuals with disabilities had to fight for their right to vote and have continued to face obstacles that limit their ability to vote at polling places. Numerous individuals have demonstrated support for the rights of voters with disabilities who cannot physically wait in long lines to vote. At the same time, it is fascinating to observe long voting lines. That is an image of accessibility for people who have physical disabilities. Many polling places are not accessible to voters with disabilities despite being written in the constitution. Reher (2021), a significant percentage of voters are disabled. Voters with disabilities may be discouraged from voting if they cannot vote in a manner that considers their requirements. Voters with disabilities face challenges that cannot be met solely through absentee voting. Because it is entirely paper-based in most countries, blind voters cannot use it and must ask a sighted person for assistance. However, for the first time this year, blind voters in North Carolina used an ‘online Democracy Live’ voting system (Johnson & Powell 2020). This electronic system was previously available to members of the military and overseas voters to register their ballots online, and it is now accessible to voters with visual impairments. To assist them in casting their votes, some voters require the support of others. However, this is also difficult due to voters' desire for complete voting privacy. Syed and others2022) need disabled individuals to declare, "This is my life, and this is how I want to vote. “For disabled voters, independence and privacy are necessary. The Democratic process must accept that disabled people can vote and express their opinions in these instances. Because the election boards of many countries have not put together a team of people to help voters with voting, voters with disabilities who need help filling out the request form are scrambling for help. Blind and low-vision voters in Maryland have two choices. According to Creighton (2021), every polling location in the state must have at least one ballot marking device that reads the ballot to voters aloud. To normalize voters with disabilities, some poll workers encourage them to use ballot marking devices. The alternative lets people read the ballot with a screen reader and fill it out at home, online, on their own, or in private. However, this was because of a lawsuit filed in 2019 by the National Federation of the Blind, its affiliate in Maryland, and three blind voters in Maryland. However, not everyone has internet access, a printer, or screen reader technology. Voters with disabilities continue to prioritize accessible information. Because campaign websites are not always accessible to individuals who use high-contrast text and screen readers, it is also difficult for voters with disabilities to locate information regarding the candidates. With COVID-19 and so many new policies and rules, it's hard to figure out all the voting options in Reher (2021). Additionally, accessible information about candidates is difficult to come by, frustrating disabled people who feel excluded from the political conversation. Despite being smart enough to cash a ballot, voters with disabilities have struggled to vote for decades. For many people worldwide, the challenges that voters with disabilities face are not uncommon—nearly every nation votes with paper ballots that are digitally or optically counted. As a result of concerns about cyber security, many jurisdictions will likely return to paper ballots (Johnson & Powell 2020). Many voters with disabilities use modified voting machines with earphones because they can't mark paper ballots without help. However, the return to paper ballots has made poll workers reluctant to accept the new voter's machine based on modern technology. To ensure a safe and smooth election, untrained poll workers have discouraged voters with disabilities from using accessible voting machines. This is a common complaint made by disabled voters worldwide. At least one barrier, according to Sayed 2022, made it difficult for voters with disabilities to participate in the election process carried out in 2016. During the 2018 election, either the accessible voting system did not work, or the station was not adequately set to enable privacy for voters with disabilities. Due to such factors, participation among voters with disabilities has decreased due to improper organization and a set of voting machines to cater to voters with disabilities (Creighton 2021). Over the past two presential elections in the USA, voters with disabilities participation have reduced from 56% in 2008 and 54 in the 2016 elections. Many polling places have physical barriers that make it difficult for voters with disabilities to participate in any form of election (Johnson & Powell 2020). Steep ramps and poor surfaces are some examples of obstacles that Johnson & Powell found. It is also evident that many political parties do not focus on voters with disabilities; instead, they put more effort into voters without disabilities. Apart from lack of transportation to the polling places, lack of trained polling clerks, and inadequate electoral resources, voters with disabilities face some problems. Consequently, the proliferation of voter identity Card laws may exacerbate the problem since voters with disabilities are less likely to drive or carry their I.D. whenever they walk around. At polling locations with narrow doors, no automatic door openers, no proper signage, and no entryway ramps, voters with disabilities who require wheelchair accessibility face restrictions. Even though there are facilities for voting at the curb, this is not an acceptable choice because it compromises privacy. Voters with cognitive disabilities have been denied the right to vote in some instances due to assumptions about their intellectual abilities. People with mental disabilities who are deemed incapacitated or incompetent by a court of law are denied the right to vote in 38 states and the District of Columbia (Syed et al., 2022). When a court appoints a legal guardian to manage a voter's affairs, these laws apply to voters with disabilities. Creighton (2021), West Virginia, recently hired advocates to check on the status of polling places and establish whether they are accessible to voters with disabilities. Newly, West Virginia has organized outreach programs in psychiatric hospitals, education institutions, and homeless shelters, educating every person about their right to vote. Through this outreach program, the number of persons with disabilities voting has increased by 3% in West Virginia since the 2012 election. In Colorado, state officials have taken numerous extra steps to ensure voting is accessible to vote...