Disability Vote

Special thanks to Ted Jackson of the California Foundation For Independent Living Centers who provided input on the voting video series and created the hashtag campaign #VoteDisability.  

In the spirit of collaboration this landing page is available to any individual or organization that would like to share links to accurate and nonpartisan information for use by voters and/or potential voters with disabilities.

If you have one or more links you would like added to those below, please send an email to [email protected]. We would also appreciate you sharing a link to this page wherever you are active in social networking.

¿Hablas español?: Visita la pagina del Consulado Nacional de La Raza – Vota, La pagina de, U.S. Election Assistance Commission: Glossary of Key Election Terminology, National Federation of the Blind y la pagina de The Help America Vote Act.

Formerly Incarcerated?: Learn more about the voting laws in your state.

Resources for Voters with Assistants: National Disability Rights Network’s Protection and Advocacy for Voting Access website, NonprofitVOTE’s “Voting with a Disability” resource page.

Resources for Deaf Voters: National Association of the Deaf’s Making Polls Accessible to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Voters website, Self Advocates Becoming Empowered’s National Technical Assistance for Voting and Cognitive Access’s website, Collaborative for Communication Access via Captioning (CCAC) – Learn more about the “Captions Capture the Votes” project and volunteering opportunities on their website.

Resources for Voters with Disabilities

Find out more information about voting rights or accommodations that are available for voters with disabilities by visiting the National Disability Rights Network’s Election Day Resources for Voters with Disabilities. Or take a look at the following state-specific resources:

• National Disability Rights Network’s Election Center 2016.
• AAPD’s REV UP! 2016 Voting page
• Disability Thinking’s Election 2016 Voter Guide – #CripTheVote.
• Louisiana voters: To learn more about voting issues for people with disabilities in Louisiana or get help with a disability related voting issue, visit or contact the Advocacy Center at 1-800-960-7705 or [email protected].
• New York voters: Visit the New York Disability Vote Network (NYDVN) for information specific to disability and voting.
• Pennsylvania voters: Visit the Disability Voting Coalition of Pennsylvania.
• Washington State voters: To learn more about exercising the right to vote, visit Disability Rights Washington’s voting resource page. Whether you are assisting voters with disabilities or have a disability and want to vote, find out more about the right to vote and accommodations. The Washington Secretary of State also provides alternative formats and accessibility information.

Additional resources:

• Field Guides to Ensuring Voter Intent prepared by Center for Civic Design.
• #VoteDisability Election 2016: Increasing the Disability Vote for Impact Get-Out-The-Vote Manual prepared by Ted Jackson, California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (July 2015).

Step 1: Register to Vote

Step 2: Research

Step 3: VOTE!

How do I register to vote?

• Go to U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s website to find out voter registration deadlines by date.
• Fill out this online voter registration from the National Voter Registration Day website.
  • Louisiana voters: To register to vote, check your registration, view your ballot, or find your polling place, visit GeauxVote.
  • New York voters: For information on how to register, where to vote, how to use the machines, etc. here is the site for the New York State Board of Elections.
  • Pennsylvania voters: Visit the VotesPA site to learn how to register.
  • Washington State voters: Use the online voter registration on MyVote.
• Voter registration can vary by county, state or territory. Visit Nonprofit VOTE to get updated voting information.

Where can I get informed about the issues?

• Find your county, state or territory’s voter’s guide:
  • Federal elections Voters’ Guide
  • Louisiana voters: To read more about the 2015 elections in Louisiana and learn about the candidates’ views on disability issues, visit the Advocacy Center of Louisiana’s election page.
  • New York voters:  For NY voter rights facts, visit NYCLU, or LWVNY’s NY State voter guide for more information about elections, candidates and ballot proposals.
  • Pennsylvania voters: Check out VotesPA Resource Center.
  • Washington State voters: Check out the Washington State’s Online Voters’ Guide.

• Find more information about candidates and voting issues:
  • On the Issues | This website allows you to see every political figures stance on every issue, just click on their picture.
  • Vote Smart | You can search by politician to see their positions on issues, quotes from speeches and interviews, how they voted on key issues, and even where their campaign gifts are coming from!

Where do I fill out my ballot?

There are different ways to vote depending on where you live. Visit your state/territory election website to find out which methods are available in your state or territory. Below are examples of different voting methods:

• Visit a voting booth
• Vote by mail
• Vote by absentee ballot
• Vote online

The Advocacy Center of Louisiana, Disability Rights New York, Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania, and Disability Rights Washington, which operates this Rooted in Rights website, are all part of the federally funded protection and advocacy system and members of the National Disability Rights Network.

Emily Ladau, Editor in Chief of the Rooted in Rights Blog, is a passionate disability rights activist, writer, speaker, and digital communications consultant whose career began at the age of 10, when she appeared on several episodes of Sesame Street to educate children about her life with a physical disability. A native of Long Island, New York, Emily graduated with a B.A. in English from Adelphi University in 2013. In 2017, she was named as one of Adelphi’s 10 Under 10 Young Alumni. More about Emily’s work can be found on her website, Words I Wheel By, and her writing has been published on websites including The New York Times, SELF, Salon, Vice, and Huffington Post. Alongside her work as a writer, Emily has spoken before numerous audiences, ranging from a panel about the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act at the U.S. Department of Education, to the occupational therapy program at New York University. Follow her on Twitter at @emily_ladau.