Category: Let's talk
How do you as a totle blind person vote for president? what have you done and what is and isn't aloud. I have not voted before adn my friend and I were talking about it and how blind people votes. This is my first time legal to vote. Please let me know how you whent about voting.
Well, it isn't too difficult, although depending on what happens in your state/district, the rules vary. I'd check with your local Board of Elections to see what they have in place where you live. If you want information that's unbiassed, I'd check out something like the League of Women Voters' website. I don't know the address, but you can probably google it and find it. Where I live in Maryland, Newsline puts up really good information on the issues in terms of what the questions are, and who the candidate you can vote for depending on your district. Hope this helps.
Lou
Are you asking about the actual process of casting your vote, or about finding info on the candidates.
I think she wants to know about how to go about voting in general as a blind person. Well, there is a law that every pole has to have at least one accessible votin machine. You may want to check with your district, but most places must have an accessible machine that talks to you through a headset, and you turn a little wheel to cast your vote. It is not hard once you get the hang of it, but when you get there, I would ask for help with one of the people in charge. They, by law, have to know how to work it. Good luck!
I was wondering actually if it would be possible for those postal votes or not? But then, unless you scanned it into the computer and reprinted it again, I don't know, because you can't ask someone to fill it in for you because it's meant to be secret.
actually, if it's your first time voting, then my advice to you would be to, if you can, go with a sighted person who you trust, so that they can help you with the voting form. that way, they can show you what to do, and how to fill it in properly. however, if you can't do that, then findout if they have some form of electronic voting system in your area. also, their should be someone to help you at the places where you go to cast your vote as well.
oh and, just on the going with a sighted person, even if you have to get them to fill the form in for you, you should be the one deciding on your vote, and you are allowed to have someone mark the boxes for you, or show you where the box is so you can mark it yourself.
I still think it should be done as independently as possible. I personally would rather get help from someone there just because they dont know me, and it's more likely they'll fill it in for me correctly. But then again, I dont trust people very well. And i'm the kind of person who prefers outside help rather than that of my family. However, since my first time voting was a long time ago, due to it being part of a school project, and back then they didn't exactly have what they do now, I think I got my aunt to read it to me, i'm not sure though. I think it's more independent to get outside help, though.
The accessible voting machines were put in so you don't have to have a sighted person. I don't want anyone, friend or not, filling in my vote.
I tried an accessible voting machine for the first time two years ago for the local elections, and it was awesome. I plan on doing that again this year. Either way, I'm definitely voting! My philosophy is if you don't vote, you can't complain. Harsh maybe, but there you go.
Before my town had accessible voting machines, I would go to the polls and two poll workers would mark my ballot as I asked. I think each was there to witness the other. Regarding voting with an absentee ballot, you may need to have it notorized. Check with the city or town clerk's office where you'll vote.
thanks all
I wish they had the accessible voting machines here, but so far, they don't. I've had to get sighted help, and I agree with Music Queen. I'd rather get help from someone there than a family member.
Alot of what we're discussing when it comes to help is privacy. A stranger is less likely to enforce their opinion on you than a so-called friend or family member.
accessible voting? that's a fucking joke in the UK. we either have pol station voting, or postal voting, and neither is accessible as such. they both involve sighted help, there is no law in the UK about acessible voting machines. hell, even our DDA is shit.
Brooke, they're required by federal law to have accessible voting machines everywhere. IF they don't, you can report that. uhm. I'll try to track down info on who to report that to for you.
So basically here in England, we're expected to rely on a sighted person for things like that are we? No thanks.
yes we are. it's shite i know, but when has the british system ever taken the needs of visually impaired citizens seriously?
Before we had accessible voting machines, I always went to the polls with a trusted friend, who I knew wouldn't try to influence my vote. I tended not to go with family. I think they would have honored my vote and filled in the right box for me, but I preferred going with a friend. However, I really do love accessible voting. Nikki, you could call your local Elections Commission, maybe even go there and see if you can see the accessible machine, if they have one.
I like accessible voting, but, it was quicker when I used the poll workers.
Well, you stil can use the poll workers if you like. Just because accessible voting is there, there's no rule saying you have to use it.
you amaericans have it so good. i would live accessible voting, even if it took five minutes to vote! the UK is so backward!
hey thanks for posting your thoughts on this post,
In answer to post 21, Yes, I can use the poll workers, but, will continue using the accessible thing, in order to show demand.
You lucky people in America. Bring accessible voting here! Hahaha! Seriously though, America always seems to have that accessible stuff before us! Gurr'r'r'r'r'r'r'r'r'r'r'r??
can you not complain to the gov or who ever you have? Wright a letter to the Queen, i would.
can you not complain to the gov or who ever you have? Wright a letter to the Queen, i would.
What's weird is, I was given the impression that some things are more accessible in the UK than they are here in the US. For example, I heard once that in the UK, it's literally illegal for websites to be inaccessible, and that people can be fined if their site isn't. And of course, you guys have a lot more stuff on DVS than we do, though I don't quite consider that an accessibility issue. In light of all that, I'm actually very surprised that the UK doesn't have accessible voting.
As far as how to get it, I know the NFB and the ACB were pretty instrumental in pushing accessible voting through. Does the UK have consumer organizations like that who can help push for it?
There are no laws in the UK which say that web sites have to be accessible. It would only be service providers who would have to provide accessible sites, but even that doesn't happen. I'm currently challenging a company over here who say that their reasonable adjustment is for me to place my order over the phone. considering that the phone call would cost me, I don't consider that reasonable.
Unlike the ADA though, the Disability Discrimination actin the UK is not law. If we want to use it in our defence we have to take the company to court as individuals. This means that we have to have the money to do it. We supposedly have the Disability Rights Commission, although I believe that has been recently disbanded, who are supposed to help us, but say, a guide dog owner being refused admission into a restaurant is yesterday's news, happens all too frequently so people can't be bothered.
Going back to the original topic of voting, we don't have any sort of accessible machine over here. A few years ago we had templates which were available at the polling stations which you had to place over the form. There were little flaps to lift up which corresponded with the boxes on the form. I felt it was very hit and miss, getting the form lined up and being sure you'd marked it correctly. I didn't even know if my pen had worked!
So a far cry from being accessible.
yes, you americans have it better where you are. mel is correct, the DDA is civil legeslation and means that it has no automatic force in the courts. it is literally guidelines for employers, for if they can proove its unreasonable for them to make adjustments to their business practises or such like to allow disabled people to gain access, they don't have to make those changes, and they would have been said to comply with the DDA. the act is crap.
i don't think we will have accessible voting in the UK. it's too much trouble!
I used the accessible voting machines in 2004, 2006, and plan to use them this tuesday. They are an excellent idea. Yes, they take longer than if you have the help of a sighted person, but that does not bother me at all. I prefer my independence and privacy over saving five or ten minutes.
The accessible voting machines are only good if they are up and running. So if the one accessible voting machine isn't working, then you have no other choice but to use sighted assistance to help you fill out the ballot. Grrr.
at least you have them in the US, we don't in the UK, and it's fucking shit.
Hi, I got to use a talking machine for the first time yesterday, and damn its about time, that I could make my own choices!! Was awesome!
I used the Automark machine with no trouble. There's even an option that lets you blank the screen. I think there should be more than one at each polling place, though. In a previous election, the one machine was down. I had to wait almost 30 minutes for it to get fixed. During the down time, too poll workers had to guard the thing. What a waste of personnel.
again, at least you have the oppertunity to vote accessibly. our DDA says that the govt only have to do these things if it is a reasonable adjustment. the DDA is guidelines on how to treat disabled in the UK, not actual criminal law unless someone can get the money to take a company to court.
Hi, for those who don't have access to electronic voting machines, here in Colorado, whoever is reading the ballot has to sign an affidavit stating that the vote is the voter's not their own. I like accessible machines. Only ours don't have a wheel but two arrow-shaped buttons. They're easy to use. It only took me about 10 minutes to vote. Oh yeah, it's a good idea to take a "cheat sheet" of all the contests and your choices with you to the polls. I went through the ballot for our precinct with my mom this year. It was really long, and I felt like I was doing homework. But believe me, it was definitely worth it in the booth. All I had to do was read my answer and select it. A little extra effort definitely goes a long way in the voting process.
My suggestion to you, is to try reading a little more, either in Braille, or in print. Totle, is spelled total, whent is spelled went and incredibly enough, when making a verb ending with -e end with -ing, the rule we all learned in second grade, drop e and then add ing still applies. Therefore, voteing is actually spelled voting.
This is a message to all blind people: please learn how to spell lest you embarrase us all. Sorry I had to make this post but blind people are driving me nuts with their creative ways of modifying the written English language.
To the last poster, thank you so much for posting that. People drive me nuts with their terrible writing, too.
And back to the original topic. Accessible voting is still a fairly new thing, relatively speaking. We already have more machines than we used to, and I think slowly but surely, those machines are working better, without so many technical glitches. Hopefully as time progresses, and states and communities continue to get feedback from us as blind people, accessible voting will continue to improve.