EFE Steps Up Voting Rights Project

As the 2004 presidential election draws near, Equip for Equality's Voting Rights Project is in high gear. Directed by senior counsel Karen Ward, the project is engaged in a variety of activities aimed at improving access to voting for people with disabilities and at empowering individuals with disabilities to appreciate - and exercise - the power of the vote.

The most ambitious of these activities is the training of more than 17,000 election judges in the city of Chicago and Cook County on disability rights, polling place access and the ways to serve voters with disabilities. This training will take place throughout the city and the county between September 13 and November 1.

Equip for Equality has also recently advocated for and worked with local voting officials to promote use of federal and state funds to improve polling place access through the purchase and use of such devices as portable ramps, portable alert systems, signage and other devices.

Another focus of Equip for Equality's efforts in this area is the registration of voters with disabilities. Equip for Equality has been designated a bona fide state civic organization, which has enabled staff to be trained to register individuals to vote. A number have done so, and thus clients and others who visit Equip for Equality in Chicago and the regional offices will now be able to register to vote at these offices; registration will also be made available at outreach and training activities of the agency. Registration opportunities are also provided through Intake, using the mail-in voter registration cards that are available under the socalled Motor Voter program.

Cooperation and collaboration with community organizations and election officials has been a key part of the voting project. Equip for Equality staff serves on the Disability Advisory Committee for both the Cook County Clerk and the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, and has also participated in community meetings hosted by those authorities to obtain input from a wide variety of interest groups. Equip for Equality staff members are also serving on an advisory committee for the purpose of selecting accessible election equipment for Cook County, and will provide input to other voting officials on that issue. Among the requirements of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) is that, by January 1, 2006, every polling place in the United States shall have at least one voting system that is accessible, including for blind and visually impaired voters, providing them with the same privacy and independence that is enjoyed by nondisabled voters.

Equip for Equality's voting education efforts have included presentations at meetings of the League of Women Voters and the Chicago Bar Association, as well as the training of individuals with disabilities about their voting rights, through the Training Institute, managed by Stacy Yusim.

Equip for Equality is a member of the Illinois Disability Vote Project, a consortium of organizations, including the centers for independent living and a number of disability organizations and voting rights organizations, whose purpose is to create awareness of the power of voting among those with disabilities and increase the participation of citizens with disabilities in the voting process.

On Election Day, November 2, Equip for Equality plans to host a help line to assist voters with disabilities who have questions or concerns regarding voting rights and voting access. Voters should call 1.800.537.2632 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Of course, Equip for Equality continues to serve individuals with disabilities who contact its offices for individual assistance, and this definitely includes voting. Individuals who desire assistance with obtaining accommodations in the voting registration and voting process, who need more information about their rights or who believe their rights have been violated should contact Equip for Equality and leave their information with Intake staff.

"We are very excited about the range of activities and services that we have been able to provide through the Voting Rights Project," says Karen Ward. "Individuals with disabilities have long been denied full participation in and equal access to the voting process. We gratified that Equip for Equality has been able to make a significant contribution to bringing citizens with disabilities into full participation in our democracy."

For further information, please contact Karen Ward, 1.312.895.7330.

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