Barriers to Democracy:

Voter Accessibility in Minnesota

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The Power of Voting

“the basic right, without which all others are meaningless.”

President Lyndon B. Johnson

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Agenda

• Historical Context

• Why did we get involved

• The first survey

• The post-election survey

• Solutions

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Global Context of Voting

94.5

80.3

77.3

75.2

74

73.9

73.8

66.5

58.4

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21.3

0 20 40 60 80 100

Australia

Israel

Iran

Great Britain

Cameroon

Canada

France

USA

Russia

Ivory Coast

Mali

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Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article XXI

The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.”

Right to Vote

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Recent Landmarks

Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act 1984• Requires polling places to be physically

accessible to people with disabilities

Americans with Disabilities Act 1990• Provided for ballot and poll access for those with

disabilities

Help America Vote Act 2002• Mandates that all polling places have at least

one disability-accessible voting device

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Minnesota Constitution

ARTICLE VII Section 1.

Every person 18 years of age or more who has been a citizen of the United States for three months and who has resided in the precinct for 30 days next preceding an election shall be entitled to vote in that precinct.

Right to Vote

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2012 Constitutional Amendment

S.F. No. 1577,  as introduced

1.10 Every person 18 years of age or more who has been a citizen of the United 1.11 States for three months and; who has resided in the precinct for 30 days next preceding an 1.12 election; who presents valid photographic identification as prescribed by law; and whose 1.13 eligibility to vote has been established under this section shall be entitled to vote in that 1.14 precinct. 

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Why Voting? Why Courage?

For many of the 33.7 million Americans with disabilities of voting age, this situation is all too real

What if you wanted to vote but the polling place was locked?

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Why Voting? Why Courage?

• Courage Center is committed to advancing the lives of children and adults experiencing barriers to health and independence. 

• Empowering people to advocate for themselves, friends, family and the whole community is essential for moving Minnesota forward.

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Why Voting? Why Courage?

A study by researchers Kay Schriner and Douglas Kruse shows that people with disabilities eligible to vote are 20 percentage points less likely than non-disabled people to do so.

University of Arkansas Study

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Why Voting? Why Courage?

• If people with disabilities voted at the same rate as the non-disabled, 10M more votes would have been cast in the last Presidential election - a major voting bloc.

•Voting is power, and measuring the size of a group's vote can significantly impact that group's political muscle.

Untapped Power of the Disability Vote

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The First Survey Development

• We developed the survey by reviewing the literature and looking at common problems with access.

• We wanted to hit on all types of accessibility – including physical and social access

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The First Survey Data Collection

• We distributed the survey through various organizations, particularly utilizing the reach of the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities

• They were distributed in hard copy and by email

• We received 145 surveys

Conducted in March of 2008

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First Survey Outcomes

• 97% of the respondents voted in Minnesota• 90% voted at the polling place, 10% absentee• 65% of the respondents knew that accessible

voting machines were available, but only 44% used them

• 64% of respondents knew that they could use an absentee ballot, and 54% said they knew they could request to always get an absentee ballot.

By the numbers

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First Survey Outcomes

• 26% of respondents reported that transportation or parking were barriers to the polls

• While the individual responses for physical barriers were not high, 24% of respondents reported at least one physical barrier to the polls

• Heavy doors, signage, curb cuts, steps, narrow or obstructed paths, narrow doors, ramps, and revolving doors were the biggest challenges

Physical Barriers to Voting

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First Survey Outcomes

• 20% of respondents reported that providing identification was a barrier to the polls

• 11% of the respondents reported that election judges had presented barriers to voting.

Other Barriers to Voting

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However, we had more questions:

• We didn’t specify which election, so could not say whether these were problems that had existed at one time, or existed currently

• We decided to repeat the survey after the 2008 elections to see what the experiences of were in a Presidential year

• We also wanted more information about where the respondents lived, and more about their health condition

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New Survey

• We received 172 surveys, returned by individuals who were eligible to vote in the 2008 Presidential elections.

• The respondents had a wide range of disabilities, including:

Completed Post Election

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Breakdown of Disabilities

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Respondents were Statewide

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New Survey

• 55% of the respondents were aware of accessible voting machines

• 31% of the respondents had used the accessible voting machines

• However, 10% reported that election judges being unable to use the accessible voting machines was a barrier to voting

How we vote

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New Survey

• 78% were aware that they could vote by absentee ballot

• Respondents had strong feelings about going to the polls and voting

• Overall distrust of absentee ballots, and whether they would be counted

Absentee Ballots

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Comments on Absentee Ballots

• “They have to count my ballots if I come in person, absentee ballots may not be counted.”

• “It’s traditional for me to vote in person.”

• “Why should I [vote absentee]? I have the right to vote in person and shouldn’t be forced to vote absentee”

Comments Included:

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Comments on Absentee Ballots

• “Because I want to participate in the process” Respondents wanted to be part of the social experience as a member of the community, and specifically to demonstrate that everyone votes.

• Some eligible voters didn’t know that they could vote absentee, or found the absentee process complicated or confusing.

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New Survey

TRANSPORTATION

• 34% identified transportation, parking or drop off problems as barriers to the polls

Barriers Identified by Respondents

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New Survey

PHYSICAL BARRIERS

• 35% identified physical barriers to the polls and to voting.

Barriers Identified by Respondents

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New Survey

• Doors too heavy or difficult to open – 17%• Lack of signage to accessible entrance – 13%• Narrow or obstructed paths, in or outside of the

building – 10% • Steps – 9%• Lack of curb cuts at the voting site – 9%• Doors that are too narrow – 6%• Ramps too steep – 3% • Revolving doors – 2%

Barriers Identified by Respondents

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New Survey

ELECTION JUDGES/STAFF

• 14% of the respondents identified the polling staff as a barrier to voting (increase over last survey)

• Only 37% of the respondents were able to vote without asking for help.

Barriers Identified by Respondents

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New Survey

IDENTIFICATION• 8% reported that the need for identification was

a current barrier to voting

• In one case, the voter lived in a group home, did not have an ID, and didn’t receive bills in the mail so could not use those as ID. The staff at the group home would not accompany the individual to vote.

Barriers Identified by Respondents

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New Survey

• Long lines

• Difficulty getting a photo ID

• Difficulty physically handling the ID

• Difficulty with transportation to get the ID

• Problem with losing the ID

Photo ID

We asked if needing a photo ID would be a barrier to voting. 10% said that it would, and cited the following problems:

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Problems and Solutions

• Photo ID

• Accessibility of the Polls

• Barrier of Transportation

Areas to Explore

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Who is Impacted by Photo ID

11% of voting age citizens do not have a current unexpired government issued photo ID with their current address on it.

These percentages are even higher for seniors, people of color, people with disabilities, low-income voters, and students.

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Who is Impacted by Photo ID

Moreover the cost and process to obtain a photo ID can be difficult for many people with disabilities and unfortunately the correlation between disability and poverty still remains. A 2009 OECD study covering 21 developed countries shows higher poverty rates among working-age people with disabilities than among working-age people without disability in all but three countries (Norway, Slovakia, and Sweden.)

Costs Can Include:

• Birth Certificate $26• Marriage License $9

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Solution in Search of a Problem?

Total Voters in MN2,9,214,498

Voter Impersonator Investigations7 or 0.0002% of Voters

Double Voting Investigations165 or 0.0056%

Non-citizens Voting Investigations9 or 0.0003%

2008 US General Elections

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Photo ID and Absentee Ballots

Issues with photo ID are not only prevalent on election day.

Many individuals with disabilities use absentee ballots to cast their vote. Wisconsin’s recently enacted voter ID legislation requires that an ID must be submitted within 3 days of the election for your ballot to be counted. For someone in greater Minnesota that can often mean traveling a 50 mile round trip to reach the county auditors office.

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Solutions

• Reject the proposed legislation

• Allow people to sign the voting register under affidavit

Voter ID

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Barriers to the Polls

16 percent of all polling places in the contiguous United States have no potential impediments, 56 percent have one or more potential impediments but offer curbside voting, and 28 percent have one or more potential impediments and do not offer curbside voting.

From a 2001 US General Accounting Office Report to Congress:

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Poll Accessibility

Assessment of the environment

1. Is community transportation available throughout the voting day? (not just work hours)

2. Are the judges trained and comfortable with the voting machines?

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Poll Accessibility Checklist

• Are the doors (interior or exterior) too narrow for wheelchairs?

• Is there adequate parking and drop-off space near the polling area?

• Are there curb cuts at the voting sites?

• Are there narrow or obstructed paths inside or outside of the building?

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Poll Accessibility Checklist

• Is the voting location and parking and drop off areas clearly marked?

• Are there steps between parking and the voting location?

• If there is a ramp, is it of appropriate grade?

• Are there heavy doors that must be opened?

• Are there revolving doors?

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The Barrier of Transportation

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Community Solutions

• Pilot project in the Seven County Metro

• Multiple partners including MN Council of Non-Profits, Merrick Inc. and Target

• Driver recruitment entirely voluntary- 100+ volunteers in total

• Multiple ride options on Election Days in 2008 and 2010. This included 6 fully accessible minivans

• A 600+ rides given over the two elections

Rides to the Polls

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Community Solutions

Selected Stories and Quotes:

‘Thank you for you service today. I had a stroke and this way the only way I could vote.’

‘Accessible Service + Curbside voting + Respectful Help = One More Voice! A stronger Democracy’

‘Ming, originally from Shanghai, China and a new citizen. Due to his physical disability he was unable to get to his polling place independently. He called for a ride and was picked up by a volunteer driver at his senior citizen high rise and was excited to vote for the first time.’

Rides to the Polls

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Summary

• Access and barriers to the polls are still a major issue for individuals with disabilities

• Electoral access needs to be increased, not decreased

• Action at the community and state level needs to take place

• An examination of the organizational set up of elections needs to occur

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Questions?

Nancy A. Flinn & Christian Knights

www.couragecenter.org