Your Vote Counts

September 20^th was National Voter’s Registration Day!

I’ve been voting since I was eighteen and look forward to voting whether it’s a general, primary, or presidential election.

A few weeks ago, I received an application to fill out for an absentee ballot, from the Ohio Secretary of State Office. Voting absentee is much easier for me and I’ve been doing it for many years. So, I was glad to see it come in the mail. I even got my mother voting absentee, because at her golden age, absentee voting is convenient for her as well.

Many disability organizations are encouraging people with disabilities to vote. In the past, many didn’t even know it was their constitutional right because no one told them. Sad to say, but even today, some don’t know they have the right to vote.

Often, when you have a disability, things are downplayed or fall by the waste side, such as voting.  When relying on people daily for assistance, often the take-over comes into play; meaning, if one doesn’t think things such as voting is a priority in one’s life or it’s not in one’s service plan, then it just doesn’t happen. Voting Tuesday will just be another normal Tuesday without meaning which isn’t fair to a person with a disability.

I’m here to say, the disability vote counts! Issues and candidates on the ballots will affect our lives’ too.

Like everyone else, I’m not only watching the campaign ads, but I’m also going one step further and researching who and what levies are going to impact me and my advocacy efforts.

The world is changing constantly and even though it may seem to be in a state of “normalcy”, it could all change by tomorrow. You know the saying, “You never know what a day may make”? The saying reigns to be true especially when it comes to politics. I don’t want to be one of the ones that’s not thought of when policy makers are deciding what’s going to be in my best interest, just because I didn’t vote.

In recent years, we’ve seen elections come down to the wire, a few hundred deciding votes. I’m positive that a few of the votes were casted from people with disabilities.  We make-up a large percentage of the world.

As an advocate with a disability, I like to jump on the bandwagon with my fellow allies in their mission to encourage my community to vote. Your vote is powerful, but it only counts, if you use it.

Dates to remember:

October 11^th– last day to register to vote

October 12^th– Early voting begins

November 5^th– last day to request absentee ballot. Must be postmarked by November 7^th.

Click this link for voting tips for people with disabilities.

https://www.disabilityrightsohio.org/voting-rights-faq