Washington, D.C. — Earlier this week, Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Accessible Voting Act, a bill which addresses the barriers that older adults and disabled people face when voting. Following the introduction of the bill, Rebecca Cokley, director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:
Disabled and older adults make up one-fourth of the electorate, but they face serious obstacles when trying to exercise their right to vote. In fact, a Government Accountability Office study found that only 17 percent of polling places were fully accessible in 2016 despite federal laws requiring that all voting places be fully accessible.
The Accessible Voting Act will specifically address many of the barriers that disabled and older people face when casting their ballots. From establishing an Office of Accessibility within the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to guaranteeing access to accurate voter information and expanding the ways in which people can cast a ballot, it’s clear that this legislation was written with the needs of the disability and aging communities in mind. One reason that this legislation is so responsive to the needs of the disability and aging communities is that Sen. Casey and his staff worked closely with both communities to develop it. I commend Sen. Casey and Sen. Klobuchar for introducing this groundbreaking legislation to ensure that disabled and elderly Americans voices are heard on Election Day.
For more information or to speak to an expert, contact Julia Cusick at [email protected] or 202.495.3682.