Adi Talwar
A ballot-marking device at P.S. 94 in the Bronx on Primary Day. While some voters with disabilities participated in person and used these machines, others had to navigate the use of an absentee ballot that might have been hard for them to see, mark or mail on their own.
New Yorkers with disabilities had mixed reactions to the accessible absentee ballot option that the state Board of Elections (BOE) implemented for the June 23 primary.
While advocates are happy they won this concession, it only applies to the June 23 primary. A lawsuit to make absentee voting in future elections accessible is ongoing.
The plaintiffs are already seeing some success outside of court, with the BOE passing a resolution to try to make PDF ballots available to some of those who request them for the primary.
The governor’s order only allows for mailing in paper ballots and doesn’t provide an accessible way for those with visual impairments or dexterity issues to vote privately.
It’s well known the subway system offers little access to those with mobility challenges. But people with blindness, deafness and cognitive disabilities also have a hard time.
The group is looking for 10 public housing residents to serve on the council, in hopes of preventing long-time community members from being shut out amid a spate of luxury redevelopment in the neighborhood.