Chris Berstler Welcome to the sibling Leadership Network podcast. The sibling Leadership Network is a national nonprofit whose mission is to provide siblings of individuals with disabilities, the information support and tools to advocate with their brothers and sisters and to promote the issue is important to us and our entire families. Hello, and thank you for joining us for another episode of the sibling Leadership Network Podcast. Today, I'm joined by our executive director Katie Arnold, to talk about voting and why it's so important for our community. Katie, thank you so much for joining us today. Katie Arnold Thanks. It's great to be here to talk about voting. Chris Berstler I'm just gonna start with the big question. Why is voting so important? Katie Arnold Great question. Yeah, voting is really important because there's power at the polls, and it really influences who the decision makers are. And that impacts all of our lives in a really big way. I remember the first time that I voted, it was really monumental for me. And I remember reflecting on the fact that there were so many people before me that had fought so that I could have the right to vote. It's not something that I take lightly. And I'm really grateful for all the work and advocacy that's happened over the years so that I can vote. However, there is more work that we need to do to ensure that all people can vote, especially all people with disabilities. You know, the American Association for people with disabilities AAPD is working to build rev up voting coalition's in states. And in their rev up guide, they state that the disability community is made up of over 61 million people across all communities, races, genders, sexual orientations, religions and ages, over 30 million people with disabilities are eligible to vote, which is close to one out of every six voters. However, voters with disabilities vote at a lower rate than people without disabilities, and are twice as likely to face barriers when voting. So rev up works to close the turnout gap and make sure Americans with disabilities have access to our democracy. And this year, the sibling leadership network created a rev up coalition, where we educated our sibling network about the importance of voting, and providing information and resources to help get out the vote. Chris Berstler So speaking to that point about the low turnout, What are barriers to voting for people with disabilities? Katie Arnold Yeah, there are many barriers to voting for people with disabilities, one of the most basic is just the accessibility. You know, physical access is an issue at many polling places. Still, while there's been this has been getting better in some areas, there's still a lot of work to do. The National Disability Rights Network works in Washington DC on behalf of the Protection and Advocacy systems in states to protect the civil and human rights of people with disabilities. And in many states, the protection and advocacy organizations help to monitor the accessibility of polling places. So for example, in my state, you know, if I go to the polls, and I noticed something is not accessible, I can call and alert my protection advocacy organization so that they are aware of this, they can document it and then they can also try to address it to try to improve, to try to break down those barriers for voting for the physical access for people with disabilities. Also, some people with disabilities need assistance to vote. And in some states, there are laws that don't allow people to receive the assistance that they need. And so those are just a few of the barriers for people with disabilities related to voting. Chris Berstler How about any barriers for people in the bipoc community? Katie Arnold Yeah, many of the barriers that impact people with disabilities disproportionately impact people in the bipoc community. So according to the Brennan Center for Justice over the past decade, scholars have studied a myriad of ways that certain state voting rules make participation disproportionately difficult for Americans of color, including strict voter ID laws, lines based on election day, and other facets in our election system. There's a large and growing pile of evidence that strict voter ID laws disproportionately impact voters of color. So for example, one study used survey data to demonstrate that voters of color in states across the country lacked access to the needed ideas to vote to vote in their state. While some studies have argued that Voter IDs have little effect on overall turnout, it's clear that voters of color are less likely to have the IDS need get to participate. Voters of color consistently face long wait times on Election Day lines that would be exacerbated by cutting alternative options such as vote by mail or expansive early voting hours. Even Vote by Mail Options, however, don't completely level the playing field. Voters of color face more difficulties voting by mail to there's actually research that shows that mail ballots were rejected at much higher rates than those of white voters in certain states. A number of research studies show that voters of color are disproportionately impacted by the polling place closures. And this may be maybe due to worse transportation access. The pandemic made it even harder for many people to vote with concerns about health and safety at the polls, especially for people who are immunocompromised. In some states vote by mail became more common during the pandemic. But in other states vote by mail has been restricted. We should really be making it easier not harder for all people in our country to exercise their right to vote and to break down these barriers for people with disabilities that disproportionately impact people of color. Chris Berstler One common question that comes up is, are people with disabilities who have a guardian allowed to vote? Katie Arnold That is a very common question. And the answer is it depends. In some states guardianship deems a person incompetent and people lose their right to vote. The Babylon center keeps a list of states and their voting laws related to people with disabilities. And you can google it at state laws affecting the voting rights of people with disabilities and see a survey that they developed and find your state. Also, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network has developed an easy read guide on voting where you can search for information by state and see what the state laws are related to guardianship for people with disabilities in your state, the sibling leadership knit network, we came out with a voting statement in 2012, where we advocate for the protection of the civil rights and responsibility of people with disabilities to vote. And in it, we state that the SLN advocates for the removal of any federal or state legislation language that would limit or restrict an individual with disabilities civil right to vote, the SLN believes that no level of guardianship ship should limit a person's right to vote. Thus, the SLN encourages siblings and family members to be knowledgeable about state statutes, and seek to change those that limit voting rights for people with disabilities. We think that everyone should be able to vote regardless of guardianship status, and we still have work to do to make this a reality. Chris Berstler Some siblings have expressed concerns that their brother or sister with disabilities does not understand the issues enough to vote or worry that their city will be influenced by family members to vote in a particular way. How would you respond to those concerns? Katie Arnold That's a great question. And something that I've thought a lot about. I worry about these things, too, with my sister with intellectual disabilities. What I've realized is that families can play a really important role in supporting the person with disabilities to learn about the issues. Also, we're all influenced by our family and people around us. In my own family. I know I learned about the issues from first hearing my parents talk about the issues, and then forming my own views on that. I do my best to do research on the issues and try to understand things but I don't know everything. I make my decision based on a particular set of information that I have, just like everyone else. Some people I know they decide to vote for thing, vote on a candidate based on things that I might not necessarily think is important. I know people who have said, you know, they like a candidate's smile, or you know, their name or a little bit about their background. Some people talk about how they just have a feeling without really knowing much about the issues or the candidate, but they still vote how they please. And in some ways people with disabilities should in this in the same way, you know, people with disabilities should be able to vote for you know, themselves and whether we agree with the way they're making that decision or not. You know, that's not for us to say, could they be influenced by family and other people around them, like many of us? Sure. I do think that family has an obligation to do what they can to provide balanced information so that the person with disabilities can make their own choice in My family are split politically. So my sister with intellectual disabilities really gets to hear all of our different views, and then really make her own decision. As a family, we've had to put effort into sharing information with my sister in a way that she'll understand. And that takes intention, we really have to like think about how to break information down, we can't just hand her a pamphlet and say, read this, we have to think about you know how to make sure that it's in plain language and accessible in a way that makes sense, you know, for her, so that she can have the information she needs to be able to make her own decision. Chris Berstler How can siblings and their families support the person with disabilities to exercise their right to vote? Katie Arnold Yeah, I believe that families can play an essential role in helping people with disabilities learn about voting. First, they can help them get registered to vote. And often you can do this online. Next families can help by educating themselves about the issues and the candidates and trying to share this information in an accessible and a balanced manner so that the person with disabilities can get information and make their own decision. Then families can help people with disabilities either vote by mail or get to the polls to vote. voting by mail can be nice and easy and a way for the person with a disability to review the ballot and respond really at their own pace, you know, in their own home with support if they need it. Many people with disabilities need help with transportation to and from the polling places. And family can play a role in that. And some people with disabilities may need support at the polls to cast their ballot, whether it's to help with reading the ballot or physically filling it out or other types of supports. So those are the three things that families can help with registering to vote, getting educated and getting to the polls to cast a ballot. In my family, we did not really think about supporting my sister Patrice to vote until she was 30 years old. And you know, as the middle of five children, Patrice was the last of all of my siblings to register to vote. And there were a lot of different reasons for that, including just the details of daily living that took priority. And it was really me going to Patrice and asking her if she wanted to learn about voting, and then talking to my parents and my other siblings about the importance of trees having the opportunity to vote. My mom then helped her register to vote. We all helped educate her about the candidates and gave her information that she needed to make her own choice and voting. And then my dad drove her to the polls and helped her cast her ballot. I remember we were all really excited when Patrice finally voted for the first time. And now she's been voting numerous times. And my family has this better rhythm of support to help her with elections. It's been a process and a journey for my family to figure out things, you know, as we went along, and figure out how to support my sister with intellectual disabilities to vote. And I believe that siblings are in a unique place to advocate for and with our brothers and sisters with disabilities. And just as my family has been on this journey, I invite all of you to be part of this process. Chris Berstler What resources are available to help siblings learn about the voting process and learn about the issues and candidates? Katie Arnold Yeah, there's a lot of information out there, especially on the internet, some of it can be really overwhelming. So I'll share three resources that I know and think are good information related to voting and people with disabilities. The first is the sibling leadership networks voting center, we have a section on our website with a lot of great resources that can help families we have a great video on our site. That is the voices of siblings and people with disabilities around voting. Second, save Self Advocates Becoming Empowered has a go voter project and they have a lot of great resources on their website. They break down information in easily understandable plain language that people with disabilities can understand. And the third is the R, which has great information about voting, including a pledge that people can sign to vote and encourage others to vote to. You can also find your candidates and see who's running in your area and their positions on key issues. So those are three sites SLN save and the arc. There's many The others as well. But those are three that I would encourage siblings and their families and people with disabilities to check out. Chris Berstler What message might you have for any skeptical sibs out there who are on the fence about voting and helping their siblings vote as well? Katie Arnold I know, I mean, the political environment can be a turn off. Sometimes. And I know I've had moments where I've felt like a, does my vote really matter? Like it's just one vote. So I can understand that, but I do believe there's power in voting, I do think it is an important way to express yourself and to support your brother or sister with disabilities to be able to express him or herself or their self, you know, and help to choose who will, you know, be the candidate that will represent the issues that are important to you? And so um, you know, I think it's, it's, it's something that you know, if you kind of tried to get past some of the the political jadedness, which I feel, too, you know, I think sometimes at this time of year, especially around elections, we're all bombarded with the advertisements, and the pamphlets and all that information. But when you come down to it, it's, it's something that, you know, your vote can matter, and can make a difference. And again, going back to my first time voting, when I reflected on all of the people that fought for my right to vote, you know, I think it's a right that we all have, and also a responsibility to really help to chart the course for decisions related to our lives. So I just encourage you to get out there and vote, you know, that know that it can make a difference. Even one vote can make a difference. Chris Berstler Is there anything else that you would like to share about voting before we wrap up today? Katie Arnold You know, I just really want to encourage people to get out and vote, I think siblings can play an important role in supporting their brothers and sisters with disabilities to vote. And I think I'll end with a quote from Justin Dart, who is widely known as the father of the Americans with Disabilities Act, who said vote as if your life depends on it, because it does. Chris Berstler Katie, thank you so much for joining us today and speaking to us about voting. Thanks for having me. Any resources that Katie mentioned will be in the description. Make sure to check out the SLNs voting center and get all the resources you need to help you and yourself get out and get to voting. Thank you. Find the resources, tools and information about the sibling experience on sibling leadership dot board. The sibling Leadership Network is a nonprofit and we rely on support from our audience. Find the donation button on our homepage and contribute to the ever growing sibling movement. Transcribed by https://otter.ai