ELECTION EQUALITY: LESSONS FROM HISTORY

VOTING FOR ALL SUMMIT

MARIN COUNTY, CA

SEPTEMBER 2014

WHERE DOES THEDISABILITY VOTE FIT IN?

•2012 Voting Bloc Turnout Rates•18% African American Voters•12% Disabled Voters•6% Latino Voters

•Who do we hear about in the media?

•Performance Rate: 43% of the Disability Community Turns Out to Vote

EVOLUTION OF AMERICANVOTER REGISTRATION

•Know Your Neighbors•White-Male-Property Owners: No Registration

•Exactly Who Is Voting? Registration Begins•County Assessors-Door to Door

•Rise of the Working Class•Extended Registration Periods•Voter Registration Cards

•Civil Rights Movements: Women and African Americans

•Expanded Voter Roles•Online Voter Registration

•Electronic Options

EVOLUTION OF VOTINGCASTING YOUR BALLOT

•Early America - Voice Vote

•1800’s Political Party Tickets - Not Secret

•The Age of Invention - Mechanical Pull Lever

•Civil Rights Expands the Voter Rolls - Punch Cards &The IMB Votomatic

•HAVA and Electronic Voting Systems – Accessibility

•Comfort and Ease - Vote by Mail

THE FUTURE OF EQUALITYIN ELECTIONS FOR ALL

•Our History Shows…

•Each Generation Adds New Challenges and Opportunities for Improvement•What Works for One Person May Not for Another•Equality is Access to Options

ELECTION EQUALITY: LESSONS FROM HISTORY

Questions???

Ted Jackson

Community Organizing Director

California Foundation for Independent Living Centers

Disability Organizing Network

ted@cfilc.org

(916) 325-1690, ext. 337