Visionaries: Episode 8, Voting Access for Blind and Low Vision Peers by Susan Gray

Since the passing of the nineteenth amendment to the US Constitution in 1920, women have held the right to vote in America.  Yet, the fight to vote independently still hinders many Americans with disabilities.  Advocates have fought for decades to provide the opportunity for someone blind to cast their ballot independent of assistance.  With the advent of technology adapting artificial intelligence, it is now possible to vote privately and independently in an election.  Every polling place in New York provides voters an accessible machine to accommodate for the inability to read a paper ballot.

The first machine that utilized this technology was the Dominion ballot marking device.  It was first used in the 2008 election, historical in its own right for the election of our first African American president. 

Many counties in central New York have purchased new voting machines for this year’s elections.  They are made by Clear Vote, and also offer the technology for someone blind or unable to use their hands to vote independently.  The machines resemble the old video game stand alone, like Pacman and Space Invaders.  They have a large video screen that can display enlarged ballots for people with low vision, and a control panel for the voter to use to move through the ballot.  The machine is faced toward a wall and uses earphones for voters who are blind and need audible instruction, which ensures the privacy of the voter. 

The control panel has raised symbols that direct the voter through the ballot, allowing him to select candidates and confirm his choices.  At any time during the voting process, the voter can go back and change or verify his choices.  Once the ballot is completed, it is printed out and scanned to be counted in the election.

I have used this technology to vote since 2008, and the first time I was able to vote by myself, it was as if a part of my rights as an American were restored.  Sometimes you don’t realize how important a thing is until you live without it. 

While countless people have fought to bring this ability to the forefront for blind voters, it is a much under-utilized accommodation.  Many boards of elections report that the machines in each voting location in our counties are never used.  While I am familiar with many blind peers, only a few of us use the accessible machines.  I wonder why this is the case?  Yes, it is more time consuming than having someone else vote for you, but what is the trade off?  I would much rather employ the machines created for my use and vote independently than risk the loss of this access again.   Voting is one of the most important rights needing protection in our democracy; it is not just a right and privilege, it’s an obligation. We have gained the access to use our voice and have agency in our choices.  Taking this accommodation for granted jeopardizes the power in our hands to make change.  For, what we will lose as a democracy if we forfeit  our ability to vote,  may not  be restored.

If you would like a demonstration of the new Clear Vote machine, please contact your county’s board of elections, and they can schedule one for you.  Preserve our ability to have access to voting independently, and promote self -advocacy now and for our future generations. 

Susan Gray