Petition is rejected in Lawrence County aimed at banning electronic voting machines
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - In 2020, the number of people with disabilities who voted increased by just about 6% compared to 2016. That’s about 17.7 million people with disabilities nationwide, according to a study done by Rutgers.
Those numbers show that people with disabilities are finding it more accessible when it comes to being able to vote.
On Tuesday, in Lawrence County, the non-profit group Disability Rights South Dakota showed their support for the shutdown of a petition that could make it harder for people with disabilities to vote.
The petition stated that electronic devices of any kind should be banned from the voting area. This would apply to Expressvote machines used in South Dakota elections to help people with visual, hearing, or other impairments that could affect a person’s ability to understand the material on the ballot.
“That’s where an Expressvote machine or one of these machines can come in handy for these folks. Is so that they can go into the polling place or the booth, close the curtain behind them without anybody else, actually see what’s on the ballot, mark it on their own based on their own conscience and their belief as to who or what they like to vote on, and not have to rely on the input or assistance of somebody else,” explained Disability Rights South Dakota executive director Cole Uecker. “These laws and these protections affect us all, whether that’s the current time as someone who has a disability or some time in the future.”
The Lawrence County Commission decided to reject the petition to ban any electronic devices, saying that it would be a violation of state and federal law.
The 2002 Help America Vote Act says all polling places hosting a federal election should have at least one machine making voting accessible for people with disabilities.
If you are interested in learning more about Disability Rights South Dakota you can head to their Facebook page.
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