The Fall General Election is just around the corner on Tuesday, November 3. There will be a number of important statewide races on the ballot, including the races for Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State and State Treasurer, as well as three statewide referendums about proposed state constitutional amendments. Depending on where you live, there will likely be local races appearing on your ballot for seats in the State Legislature. It is important that you know your rights and are fully prepared to make your voice heard in this important election.
If you are voting absentee and have not yet mailed your ballot, we strongly recommend finding a different way to return it. It takes about two weeks for your ballot to arrive your polling place once you place it in a mailbox. Unless you plan on mailing your ballot today or tomorrow, it may not make it to your polling place in time to be counted. Instead, you can deliver your absentee ballot to your local clerk’s office during regular office hours, drop it in an absentee ballot drop box if one exists in your community, or bring it to your polling place on Election Day.
If you are going to vote in person rather than absentee, it’s important that you have your plan in place before heading to the polls on Election Day. In recent months, we’ve written articles about how to return your absentee ballot and knowing your rights at the polling place. We suggest you read them to help make your plan.
To further help voters who are blind or low vision prepare for the election, Executive Director Denise Jess of the Council joined leaders from Vision Forward and the Wisconsin Elections Commission to produce a new video, “Your Voice, Your Vote: Understanding Your Rights and Voting Access as a Blind or Low Vision Voter.” We’re grateful to Beyond Vision, ABLE, Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the Wisconsin chapters of the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind for their support in making this video possible.
The video covers the entire voting process, from registration to voting absentee to voting on Election Day, and explores the full range of voting rights and laws pertaining to people with disabilities. The video also looks at some best practices that are not required by law but can help mitigate many barriers inherent in the voting process.
We encourage group and organizations connected to the blind and low vision community in Wisconsin to host a watch party to view and discuss the video together. We’ve created a watch party toolkit to help folks interested in organizing and hosting one. You can find both the video and the watch party guide at Vision-Forward.org/Voting-Watch-Party-Toolkit.
To find information on what will be on your ballot and where to vote, visit the MyVote Wisconsin website.