Now, more than ever, the disability vote is taking center stage as one of the most important aspects of this year’s election. A new study by Rutgers University – Projecting the Number of Eligible Voters with Disabilities in the November 2020 Elections – shows the incredible growth of eligible voters with disabilities and asserts a likely connection to ” the aging of the population and advances in medical technology”. The report projects the number of voters with disabilities that will be eligible to vote in the 2020 election based upon past and projected Census Bureau data analysis.
“These figures show that people with disabilities constitute a sizeable share of the
electorate, so their votes could influence or even determine election outcomes. A key question
of course is how many of them will actually vote. Despite the barriers often faced by people
with disabilities in exercising the right to vote, estimates from another government data source
show that a majority of people with disabilities reported voting in 2016, and their reported voter
turnout was 6.3 percentage points lower than among citizens without disabilities.2 How many
will actually vote depends on the dynamics of the 2020 campaign, get-out-the-vote efforts, the
salience of issues, and the extent of voting barriers facing people with disabilities.”
People with disabilities and their family members have the ability to swing the election this year. If you need help registering to vote, figuring out where to vote, what your rights are as a voter with a disability, new requirements for voter ID’s, how to vote with accommodations and more, visit the following resources:
► Disability Rights Center of Kansas
► American Association of People with Disabilities
► Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Right to Vote
► Rutgers study on Projecting the Number of Eligible Voters with a Disability 2020