Voting rights for people with disabilities-Part 3
There is growing public support in Rochester for the rights of people with disabilities to have access to polling places. More and more letters of support are coming in to the editor of the Democrat and Chronicle. I applaud this, and hope those letters keep coming in!
There is another aspect to access at the polls, and that is access to the actual voting machines, themselves. Here is my perspective:
I’m glad that people are speaking out in favor of the right of people with disabilities to have access to the voting booth. Remember though, that we also need access to accessible voting machines, especially for those of us who are blind, or visually impaired, have limited use of our hands, or who cannot read. Touch screen machines are the answer to this, but then, one runs up against the spectre of security fears. More and more people want a voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT), which will involve the voter picking up a piece of paper in some cases, to verify their vote.
I don’t like the idea of VVPAT, because it comes with it’s own problems, not the least of which is the added cost of the paper and printer, as well as the problems that arise when the paper ballots, which many people want to be the ballot of record, gets lost, or misplaced. However, since VVPAT seems to be the wave of the future, it has to be accessible! I have said countless times to VVPAT proponents that if the voter must physically touch a piece of paper, or have assistance in ANY way, then, the system is inaccessible because it takes away a person’s ability (and right) to vote secretly and independently. I believe that security is very important, but I want security AND access, not one, or the other. We should not be so concerned with security that we disenfranchise entire sectors of the voting public. This should be the real vision of voting machine companies. All of the arguing, fearmongering, and other devisive tactics should stop. I have said often that some people are so concerned about potential voter fraud, and what could happen, yet, literally couldn’t care less about the voter fraud that is routinely perpetrated against disabled voters.
My thought is this: If VVPAT is the way it’s going to be, make it accessible! The technology exists. If we can send a man to the moon, and send a probe to the outer reaches of the solar system, surely, combining security and access in a voting machine should be a piece of cake. I also believe that the process for crafting standards for voting machines, as well as their certification must be streamlined. It shouldn’t take months or even years to create standards for a touchscreen machine with an accessible VVPAT, and it shouldn’t take months or years to get these machines certified. My experience in this work leads me to believe that the main obstacle to doing things the right way is not a lack of money, but pure politics. Somebody, or some group(s) is convincing some pretty powerful people that it would be to their benefit to disenfranchise entire groups of voters. Couple that with most of society’s outdated views of people with disabilities, and things look pretty bad.
My logic tells me that it is wrong to exclude any group of people from enjoying equal rights, and making worthy contributions to society, and that includes participating in the political process, and electing our public officials. Obviously, I am not the only one who feels this way, and those who would deny me and others our civil rights would do well to remember our freedoms are bound together. If my freedoms are in jeopardy, eventually, so are yours.