Disability Rights Pennsylvania Announces the Release of its 2020 Voting Access Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 2, 2021

Contact: Peri Jude Radecic
Chief Executive Officer
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
301 Chestnut Street, Suite 300
Harrisburg, PA  17101
Cell: (412) 770-8463
pradecic@disabilityrightspa.org
www.disabilityrightspa.org

Disability Rights Pennsylvania Announces the Release of its 2020 Voting Access Report

Harrisburg, PA | Disability Rights Pennsylvania (DRP) announces the release of their 2020 Voting Access Report, a detailed analysis of accessibility issues Pennsylvanians with disabilities experienced in the 2020 General Election. Despite the expanded availability of mail-in ballots due to Act 77 and Act 12, simple proximity to the ballot does not ensure complete accessibility. Hurdles to voting both in person and through the mail remain. The report discusses the issues for the disability community in utilizing mail-in ballots, issues for voters in long-term care facilities, barriers to voting access for the visually impaired, and access barriers for in-person voters.

Through its work helping voters with disabilities during the 2020 Primary and General Elections, DRP identified barriers to people with disabilities successfully casting a ballot. These insights were developed through advocacy on behalf of, and collaboration with the disability community over the course of an election year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The pandemic shined a national spotlight on the accessibility of the voting process, or lack thereof, for both those with and without disabilities.

All of the challenges identified in the report are fixable, but it will take collaboration between the Commonwealth, the counties, and people with disabilities.

According to Alexandra Hermann, a Policy Attorney at DRP, “This report highlights how federal laws related to voting, which on paper, appear to protect the rights of people with disabilities and ensure them an accessible voting experience, do little good when the Commonwealth does not fully understand the needs of disabled voters and the barriers they face when trying to vote. The Department of State, General Assembly, and county boards of elections must listen to the experiences of voters with disabilities and make the necessary changes to bring Pennsylvania’s elections in compliance with federal civil rights laws and ensure that all eligible electors who want to do so can vote.”

To view the full report, click here.

If you have any questions about this press release, you can contact Disability Rights Pennsylvania through our intake department at 1-800-692-7443 or by emailing intake@disabilityrightspa.org.

DRP is the statewide protection and advocacy agency for Pennsylvanians with disabilities. DRP protects and advocates for the rights of people with disabilities so they may live the lives they choose, free from abuse, neglect, discrimination, and segregation. DRP’s vision is a Commonwealth where people of all abilities are equal and free. www.disabilityrightspa.org.