Voting Rights and the SAVE America Act: What Disabled Voters Need to Know

Voting is the number one most important duty we have as American citizens. It is our right, and our heritage, to choose our government. As Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address, “that government of the people, by the people, for the people.” When we vote, we are active participants in our own government, and that simple act helps to ensure that the rest of Lincoln’s quote stays intact: “Shall not perish from the earth.”

Some might argue that voting isn’t our most important civic duty, pointing to the fact that the majority can—and does—vote to squelch minority voices and rights. Yet, the ballot box is our only tool for righting these wrongs, allowing us as a people to correct our mistakes and build on our successes.

Too often, there are barriers between disabled people and this crucial civic duty. That’s where our good friends at RevUp come in. RevUp is a national nonpartisan campaign run by the American Association of People with Disabilities with a mission to build the power of the disability vote through increasing civic engagement in the disability community and improving the accessibility of elections. It has coalitions in 20 states, including a Pennsylvania chapter and a Philadelphia chapter.

Since our state’s May 19 primary is fast approaching, RevUp is ramping up its efforts to register disabled voters and knock down barriers along the way.

The last date to register for the primary is May 4, but don’t wait that long.

Registering May Get Harder

Also in election news, the SAVE America Act has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is headed to the Senate. Although the stated intent is to ensure only qualified citizens vote, some provisions will make it more difficult for eligible citizens to register as well.

Since 2002, the Help America Vote Act has required Americans to provide either their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering. If neither is available, any current and valid photo ID works—or a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document showing name and address. The idea was to make registering as easy as possible for every American citizen.

Election fraud is vanishingly rare. The left-leaning Brennan Center found overall fraud rates between 0.0003% and 0.0025%, and noted it’s more likely an American will be struck by lightning than impersonate another voter at the polls. And the right-leaning Heritage Foundation, after decades of trying to document fraud, can only cite 68 cases of noncitizen voting going back to the 1980s.

If the SAVE America Act passes the Senate, registering to vote—or even updating your registration after a move or a name change—would require presenting in person either a valid U.S. passport or a birth certificate plus a valid photo ID. It would also gut mail-in voting, a lifeline for many disabled voters. Read AAPD’s full response to the House vote for more information.

Disability Pride Pennsylvania is committed to making sure our community is informed, registered, and ready. RevUp is a big part of how we do that.

At the February 10 Pennsylvania RevUp meeting, the Pennsylvania Department of State shared election updates and accessibility resources for disabled voters. [Download the presentation here.]

Get Involved with RevUp

Ready to help knock down barriers to the disability vote? Get involved with RevUp Pennsylvania.