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Advancing the Human & Civil Rights of People with Disabilities in Illinois

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EFE’s Recent Work

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We work hard to ensure that people with disabilities are empowered to exercise their right to vote.  We promote your access to the whole process, from registration to casting a ballot. We want you to turn to Equip for Equality for help when you encounter problems.  We work alongside other advocates and election authorities to identify problems, troubleshoot them and develop solutions.

Modernization of voter registration

Along with other voting advocates, Equip for Equality supported changes to the election code. Those changes include the introduction of online voter registration and online absentee ballot requests.  This change will open up and simplify voting for many people with disabilities.  We will work to provide access to the broadest range of people in a way that works well for people with disabilities.  We will also educate people with disabilities about the process once it is implemented.

Voter registration activities

We have made voter registration of people with disabilities a priority, particularly for those living in institutional settings.  We offer voter registration to our clients. We conduct outreach and training to educate people with disabilities about registration and voting. And we ensure that they can register and vote.  By serving as deputy registrars in many counties, we are able to reach people with disabilities directly.  Last year, we registered more than 200 people to vote by conducting outreach to service providers, clinics and high schools.

Outreach to election authorities and other officials

We have always been active in cultivating relationships with election authorities and working collaboratively to rectify problems and share experiences.  Most recently, we submitted testimony to the Presidential Commission on Election Administration regarding our experiences and our recommendations to improve the electoral process nationwide.  We will continue to tell local election authorities and the Illinois State Board of Elections about problems with accessibility of elections as we work to protect the rights of people with disabilities to vote.

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To report a problem with voting or to request a voting training or registration event, please contact:

Bebe Novich
bebe@equipforequality.org 
312.895.7262

 

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Last updated: September 25, 2020

This website is made possible by funding support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, both the Administration on Developmental Disabilities and the Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; and the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. The contents of this website are solely the responsibility of Equip for Equality and do not necessarily represent the official view of any of these agencies.

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