Voting accessibility for people with disabilities affects turnout: During the 2016 election, voter participation for people with disabilities in Kansas and Missouri was about 10% less than among people without disabilities. From the physical challenges of voting to the attitudes that people hold about those with disabilities, common obstacles include inaccessible parking lots and accessible voting machines that aren’t set up properly. “We need to make these situations as accessible as possible for all people.”īut how accessible the roughly 420 polling places across the Kansas City metro will be to people with disabilities will vary on Election Day. “Many times people forget that folks with disabilities also have a voice,” said Wilkerson, who self-identifies as a person with a disability after a brain injury, and is the executive director for Disability: IN Greater Kansas City. It wasn’t the first time she’s witnessed barriers to voting: On a different election day years ago, there was an uneven lip in the pavement that could prevent people using wheelchairs from entering. When Darla Wilkerson went to absentee vote in person for the upcoming election, she noticed a large sign on the floor in the doorway reminding everyone to socially distance and wear their masks.īut the sign was difficult for voters with disabilities, like limited vision, to maneuver around, impeding the accessibility of the polling site.
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