All United States citizens are encouraged to make their voices heard on Election Day. Unfortunately, people with disabilities face a variety of challenges when registering to vote, getting involved in political campaigns, casting a ballot, and running for office. Poll workers are often inadequately trained in operating accessibility features on voting machines. People who receive Social Security Disability Insurance can be penalized for running for office. If a disabled candidate runs and wins, the offices in which they are expected to serve their constituents are sometimes inaccessible. Aiming to remove some of these barriers and give disabled American voters an equitable opportunity to have their voices heard, Representatives Madeline Dean (PA-04) and Mary Gay Scalon (PA-05) introduced the following three bills to the House, with Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introducing companion bills to the Senate.
The Accessible Voting Act (AVA) S.1470/H.R.7389
Despite the significant improvements made by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), there are still accessibility issues with many voting procedures at polling places. The AVA looks to change that, focusing on not just funding accessibility, but also on educating election officials and poll workers and offering more options for casting ballots in federal elections. The AVA would help address budget restrictions for accessibility by providing states with $100 million in grants every two years, as well as re-authorizing grants for states to focus specifically on accessibility upgrades.
The Removing Access Barriers to Running for Elected Office for People with Disabilities Act S.3747/H.R.7351
Currently, running for office can disqualify a disabled person from federal benefits, such as SSI and Medicaid. With The Removing Access Barriers to Running for Elected Office for People with Disabilities Act, legislators look to amend the Social Security Act so that running for office would not disqualify someone from federal disability benefits. This would allow people with disabilities to run for office in their state without fear of being penalized, specifically by excluding any income earned from being a public official when determining eligibility for federal financial assistance or benefits.
The AID (Accessibility and Inclusion to Diversify) Local Government Leaders Act S.3749/H.R.7350
The AID (Accessibility and Inclusion to Diversify) Local Government Leaders Act works to further incentivize disabled Americans to run for positions in local government by creating an ongoing accommodations fund to support eligible municipalities in providing needed accommodations for current and future elected officials with disabilities. In making sure that the government body itself is accessible, more people with disabilities can feel supported in running for local office. Eligible communities would include rural areas, communities with a poverty level of more than 18%, or those that have a population of less than 200,000.
