Midterm elections in Wisconsin are coming up on Tuesday, November 8, and naturally we encourage all eligible voters to cast a ballot. But we also have a suggestion about how to vote—not which candidates to vote for, but which voting method to use. We encourage all voters to consider using the accessible voting equipment during this election, and to urge others to do so as well.
To that end, we’ve partnered with other organizations to create a new toolkit designed to help promote the use of accessible voting equipment among all voters—not just those with disabilities. You can access the toolkit online.
Raising the profile of the equipment will help voters understand how the equipment can be useful to them directly and how it enables voters with disabilities to vote privately and independently. We believe increased use will encourage polling place workers to work harder to ensure the equipment is ready to go when the polls open. We know both from personal experience and stories from around the state that despite state law, the equipment is often not properly set up or tested and is frequently not offered to voters.
The toolkit contains information on the equipment, including videos on its use, information about what equipment is used in each county, and sample social media posts to make it easy to spread the word.
Here’s what you can do to be a great advocate for this important equipment:
- Share the toolkit with friends and coworkers.
- Use some of the toolkit’s sample posts and hashtags in your own social media, or share posts from the Disability Vote Coalition, League of Women Voters, and the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired on your personal social media.
- If you are voting at the polls on Election Day, use the equipment to show your support.
- Encourage friends and family members to use the accessible equipment.
- If you vote in person absentee, ask your clerk to make the equipment available to you.
Thank you for your help in advocating for wider use of the accessible voting equipment this election cycle!
