June 2, 2020•Advocacy Matters
Challenges for Primary Elections in June
Disability Matters with Joyce Bender
June 2, 2020
#AdvocacyMatters Segment
Challenges for Primary Elections in June
Primary elections are underway today in 9 states for both Presidential and state primaries. Those states are the District of Columbia, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Dakota.
Primaries continue throughout the month of June for 14 other states. We have those states listed on our #AdvocacyMatters segment for today if you go to disabilityrightspa.org.
They included:
June 9
Georgia
Nevada
North Dakota
South Carolina
West Virginia
June 23
Kentucky
Mississippi
New York
North Carolina
South Carolina
Virginia
June 30
Colorado
Oklahoma
Utah
In Pennsylvania, we are about mid-way through our long-delayed primary election due to COVID-19. Our election has been challenged by this pandemic.
For the last week, we have also been challenged by outside racists forces who have instigated violence at the end of peaceful protests. This has an impact on elections as well. Especially for disabled black and brown voters.
Curfews overlap with polling place hours. Mayors and election officials have said that voters, along with essential workers, are exempt from the curfew. However, voters may feel unsafe to be out during curfew hours. Transportation may not be available in center cities.
Governor Wolf yesterday issued an Executive Order that permitted voters in 6 counties the opportunity to postmark their mail-in/absentee ballot today. Those counties are Allegheny, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Montgomery, Philadelphia,
Some consolidated voting places are in police precincts. Disabled black and brown voters may not want to go to a police precinct to vote.
More poll-workers have called off duty leaving more polling places to close today.
Consolidated polling places have led to longer lines. Some have already run out of provisional ballots and envelopes for provisional ballots.
Please visit disabilityrightspa.org for voting rights resources and links for hotline numbers in Pennsylvania and your state today.
#AdvocacyMatters. Black Lives Matters. Your vote matters.
Resources
Governor Wolf’s Executive Order Extending Mail-In Ballot Deadline in Six Counties
Disability Voting Rights Help in Pennsylvania
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
Call 800-692-7443
Lines are open on June 2 from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.
Find Disability Voting Rights Help in Your State
https://www.ndrn.org/about/ndrn-member-agencies/
Election Protection in Your State