A voter with a disability receiving assistance to vote at an accessible voting machine from an election volunteer. Michael Ho Wai Lee/SOPA/Zuma

Voters with disabilities and chronic illnesses: What was your experience voting in person, either this week or early voting?

Civil protection and voting rights such as Voting Rights Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act should protect the right of people with disabilities to vote in person, which means having the right accommodations: wheelchair accessible entrances; lower voting booths; and chairs for people who have trouble standing for long periods. But polling stations are often understaffed, both in Democratic-leaning and Republican-leaning areas.

Disabled and Chronically Ill Voters: What was your experience voting in person, either this week or early voting?@metraux_julia regarding access to vote pic.twitter.com/D1Pck8tSmv

— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) November 9, 2024

People with disabilities do not all have the same preferences – or needs – when it comes to voting. Some people with tiring conditions such as Long Covid may prefer postal voting to save energy and minimize exposure to Covid; some blind people may prefer to vote in person for a he voted without help with an accessible voting machine.

As I wrote for Mother Jones in April:

the counties are responsive for choosing the locations where their residents vote. The correct response to inaccessible polling places is not to have fewer of them – closing polling stations disproportionate impact black voters — but to find more locations that are accessible. Department of Justice also provides guidance on temporary solutions to ensure that people with disabilities can vote, such as installing a ramp and holding doors open… So far, no state requires that poll workers be trained to accommodate voters with disabilities.

What may be accessible to some people with disabilities may not be for others. That’s why it’s essential to move towards more accessible options both in person and by post — postal voting with paper ballots is not accessible, for example, to the blind and visually impaired, the subject a lawsuit filed in Wisconsin… arguing that voters with disabilities should be able to vote electronically.

If accessible voting—and disabled voters—were taken more seriously in America, more people with disabilities would participate in the electoral process. It’s that simple.