Rick Hodgkins of Citrus Heights has rarely missed an opportunity to vote, whether in a mundane municipal election or a hot presidential contest.Not that the process ever is easy.
For Hodgkins, who is blind, getting to the polls and filling out a ballot requires careful planning, a plethora of telephone calls and a lot of waiting around. He is willing to go to the trouble, he said, because he believes so strongly in the process. But millions of others with disabilities are unable or unwilling to navigate obstacles between them and their right to cast ballots.
Despite changes designed to make voting easier for people with visual, mobility and other problems, less than half of the nation's 50 million disabled citizens 18 and over are registered to vote, according to a recent Harris Interactive poll. (That compares with 68 percent of U.S. citizens registered to vote in 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.)
Even if they are registered, many disabled people are reluctant to go to polling places that may be less than accommodating. Some arrange to vote by mail. Others simply give up.
With a major election a couple of weeks away, advocates in California and around the country are working to make sure that more disabled people weigh in.
"This is a critical election for people with disabilities," who, among other things, are facing cuts in services and delays in receiving government benefits, said Jim Allsup, whose company assists people with Social Security disability issues.
Allsup and the American Association for People with Disabilities are collaborating on a campaign to get disabled people to the polls.
The effort includes an online service to help disabled people register to vote or vote absentee at www.Allsup.com. In California, an advocacy group is sponsoring a toll-free hotline for voters with disabilities who have trouble getting to polling places or casting ballots, or who have questions about the process. The number is (800) 776-5746.
Throughout history, disabled voters have faced barriers to voting, said Hillary Sklar, staff attorney for Disability Rights California.
Those who live in nursing homes or other facilities may not get registration or election materials in a timely manner. If they have limited use of their hands, they may have trouble filling out ballots without surrendering the privacy of their votes. People who use walkers or canes may not be able to stand in long lines at polls. People who use wheelchairs or scooters may encounter doors that are too narrow, voting booths that are too high or obstacles like wires on the floor.
"It can definitely be a challenge," said Evelyn Abouhassan, who works for the advocacy group. Abouhassan has cerebral palsy and uses a scooter, and once encountered a ramp at a poll that was too steep for her vehicle to navigate, she said.
For all of those reasons, said Sklar, voter turnout among the disabled has been low. "But we have to change that. It's very important for disabled Americans to come to the table and have their voices heard."
People like Joni Patche of Natomas, who is 57 years old and blind, have stopped going to the polls in favor of voting by mail.
Patche is a student of the issues who listens to debates, studies propositions and debates ideas with friends and relatives. For her, she said, voting is critical.
"It's kind of a good feeling to go to the polls, but I have had some bad experiences," said Patche, who operates a coffee kiosk in downtown Sacramento. "So I am happy to do it absentee."
But many prefer the ritual of traveling to a polling place and casting a ballot alongside other citizens.
"It might be easier to vote by mail, but in the general elections in particular, a majority of people do want to go to the polls," said Kim Alexander, president and founder of the nonprofit California Voter Foundation. "They just like the experience."
The Help America Vote Act, passed by Congress in 2002, was designed in part to make voting more accessible to disabled voters. The changes have included the use of electronic voting machines designed to allow people with visual, hearing and other problems to have an easier time at the polls.
But the system has been far from perfect, with machines that don't work properly or allow for privacy, said Sklar and others.
"Assuming the polling place has one of these systems, is it actually accessible?" Sklar asked. "Can the screen be seen by others? Do poll workers know what to do if it is down?"
Hodgkins, the Citrus Heights voter, encountered that very problem in a recent election, he said.
"If that machine is down, guess what? You can't vote," he said. "It happened to me, but I was able to go back later and get some help."
Transportation to and from the polls is another major issue for people with disabilities, Hodgkins said. Most polling places "are not along major bus lines," he noted, so getting to them can be an adventure. If he takes Paratransit, he must call a day or two in advance to book a ride and then wait for his pickup for an hour or more after he votes. It's also an investment of $8.
"But I think it's very important to go and vote," said Hodgkins. "I'm concerned about a lot of issues, not just those related to disabilities.
"I just want to make sure that my voice is heard."
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