MADISON, Wis. — July 26 is Disability Independence Day, commemorating the 1990 signing into law of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by then Republican President George H.W. Bush. A Better Wisconsin Together pointed to a lawsuit filed this month seeking to ensure equal access to the ballot box for Wisconsin voters with disabilities as an example of how the ADA remains a critical tool to help all people fully participate in the workplace, enjoy public accommodations and exercise their freedoms.
The lawsuit seeks to ensure that voters with disabilities have the option to cast their ballot via secure ballot drop box locations. According to A Better Wisconsin Together Executive Director Chris Walloch, ballot drop boxes were a practice that worked safely and securely in Wisconsin for years before the right-wing majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court made a politically motivated ruling last year to take that freedom away.
“Many Wisconsin voters with disabilities rely on using dropboxes due to barriers that restrict their ability to vote in-person or easily make their way to a clerk’s office,” said Walloch. “Secure drop boxes have always been a common sense way to ensure that all voters can have a say in decisions that will impact our communities.”
For voters whose health is at risk and those with mobility challenges, access to ballot drop boxes close to their home could be their safest – and sometimes only – option at election time. Under Wisconsin’s current dropbox guidelines, voters with disabilities are bearing the brunt of extremist attempts to hold onto power.
“Ensuring that easily accessible drop boxes are available to Wisconsin should be the baseline, and not up for debate,” said Walloch.
This Disability Independence Day and beyond, stand with Wisconsinites with disabilities by demanding an election process that is fair and free for us all, and that includes access to ballot dropboxes.
