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Voters with
disabilities
3/14/2005
By Veronica
Castelo, News 10 Now Web Staff
Andria Doldo
had a rough time voting in last year's presidential elections.
"I had
to be put up on a stool in order to try and reach the voting, the poll levers.
It took two people to lift me up," Doldo said.
Pulling the
lever wasn't easy either.
"I had
to have someone help me and that takes away the whole privacy issue for
me," she said.
Andria
wasn't the only person with a disability who encountered problems during the
election. According to the New York State Independent Living Council Report, 92
people had problems accessing a voting machine, voting booth, or polling site.
Elizabeth
Patience of the Northern Regional Center for Independent Living says three of
those complaints came from Jefferson County. County election officials say they
never received a complaint directly but agree it is a statewide issue that
should be addressed.
"We
have a machine in at least each town that is accessible. We also have offered
through the years paper ballot which can be filled out early," said Cindy
Corbett, Deputy Election Commissioner.
For Andria,
filling out a ballot at home isn't enough.
"I am
an American citizen just like anybody else and I feel that people with
disabilities have the same rights as people without disabilities to go out and
cast there votes the same way anybody would," Doldo said.
Patience
says the NSIL's suggestions for better voting accessibility have been well
taken by the county.
"The
interaction between Jefferson and Lewis County has been very positive. There
have been a lot of significant changes," Patience said.
Now Patience
urges policy makers to go the extra mile as well, and pass legislation that
would finance accessible voting machines, booths, and sites in every county.
Jefferson
County election officials are not handling Tuesday's elections but say village
and towns in the area have been well versed in helping people with disabilities
vote.
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2005 TWEAN d.b.a. News 10 Now
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