1. PROJECT
Presented by:
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2. Purpose of the Training
To Learn About
Voting issues
How to register to vote
How to go to the polls and vote
Where you can vote
What might get in your way when you go to vote.
How to build connections across local and state agencies, self-advocates, family members, elected officials and legislators to increase voting participation of people with disabilities.
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3. Get to Know Each Other
Instructions: Use these questions to interview your partner and get to know them.
Ask your partner:
What is your name?
Where are you from?
What is the reason you came to this training?
What would you be doing if you were not working today?
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4. How Voting Fits Into Your Life
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5. How has voting made a difference in the lives of people with disabilities?
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6. Things to Vote On County Commissioner President City Council Members
Taxes, Bonds
School Board Members
Measures, Propositions, Issues
President
Senator
Representative
Governor
Mayor
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7. Vote For Your Favorite Candy
Chocolate
Lollipop
Hard Candy
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8. Registering to Vote
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9. Who Can Register to Vote in the USA?
Basic federal rules to be able to register to vote:
You must be 18 years old
You must be a resident in your community and live our state for at least ____ days before the election
You must be a citizen of the United States
You do not have to read, write, or be able to use the voting machines
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10. Who Can Register ? To register to vote in our state:
What does our state say about being in jail?
What does our state say about being declared “incompetent to vote”?
What do our state ID rules say?
Our state says you must be registered to vote # days before the election to vote.
Put Your State Map Here
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11. Places People Can Register to Vote
Post office
Town halls
Grocery stores
Libraries
Department of Human Resources
Department of Public Health
Medicaid Agency
Department of Rehab Services–Voc Rehab
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12. Places People Can Register to Vote
Some four-year Universities
Some Colleges
Where you get your id
On-line on the web
Go to govoter.org, click on state contacts, then click on your state for your Secretary of State’s information about voting
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13. Places People Can Register to Vote
Election Board
Disability provider agencies
examples: Arc and Centers for Independent Living
League of Woman Voters
Are there any other ways that people can register to vote?
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14. Support OTHERS to Register
When you help people register to vote it is called a Voter Registration Drive
To host a voter registration drive our state does/does not ask you to take a class?
You need to turn in registration forms by add date here
Add any other information about Your State registration here
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15. Rights and Responsibilities
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16. Voting Rights The Help America Vote Act
(HAVA) is a federal law that makes voting accessible and says states must:
Make sure that everyone can vote privately and independently
Set up a statewide system to give people provisional ballots if there is a question about whether they can vote
Create statewide computerized voter lists
Makes sure polling places have access
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17. Voting Rights You can bring someone you trust to help you vote:
poll workers can not deny you this support person
There are some people who can not help you vote:
your boss
union officer from your job
candidate who is on the ballot
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18. Voting Rights
You can ask for help from election officials from two different parties.
Poll workers can help you with the voting process. Poll workers can not tell you who to vote for or explain the issues in simpler terms.
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19. Voting Rights You can get a new ballot if you make a mistake
Everyone makes mistakes sometimes and it is your right to be given a new ballot if you make a mistake on your first one. You can get up to two replacement ballot.
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20. Voting Rights You can ask for a provisional ballot if you
are told that you can’t
vote for some reason.
But states may not count these ballots, so it is best to ask them to show proof of why you cannot vote before asking for a provisional ballot.
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21. Voting Rights You do not need to have a disability to use
these machines.
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) says that every polling place must have an accessible voting booth to help people vote privately and independently.
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22. Voting Responsibilities
Make sure you are registered to vote
Know the issues and candidates
Ask questions if you need some help
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23. Voting Responsibilities
Be a role model as an informed voter. Get out and vote!
Help someone else to learn how to vote
Celebrate your choice and your voice
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24. Voting Responsibilities
Get involved, in other ways, with voting and elections.
Call your Election Board to find out where you can register to vote and vote on election day.
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25. Voting Responsibilities
Ask a poll worker for voting information in Braille, in large print, on tape, or in other accessible formats.
The League of Woman Voters is available to support you in getting information on candidates and issues. In some states they make an “easy to read” voters guide.
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26. My Vote
They say I can’t vote They say the decision is not mine They say I don’t understand I guess they think they are being kind I wonder what they would say or think if they only knew That when they call the President “Our President”, I want to call him mine too If I never get the chance to vote – pulling the lever, punching the card or writing his name down.
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27. My Vote
I stay the same, - dumb, misinformed, unchanged, un-empowered. That is what this world expects me to be. But I want so much more. I want to be the most educated – the most informed – the most totally changed – the most totally empowered person that I can be when I vote. I can make a difference and then I can say with pride, “Not yours, not theirs, but my President because I put him there.”
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28. Ways to Learn About Candidates and Issues
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29. Ways to Learn About Candidates and Issues
Have a Legislative Day
Call for an appointment with your legislator
Look up candidates voting records
Read your local newspaper. Cut out articles, save and read them later
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30. Ways to Learn About Candidates and Issues
Read your Voter’s Manual
Listen to the voter’s manual if your state has it available on CD
Talk with family and friends
Listen to the radio and T.V. and talk shows
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31. Ways to Learn About Candidates and Issues
Tell stories and share your voting experiences with others
Make a checklist of what is important to you and check if the candidates share your idea
Someone who supports you
It should be someone you trust
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32. Ways to Learn About Candidates and Issues
Educates and works with parents, self- advocates and staff
Invite someone from the League of Woman Voters
Invite an elected officials to speak with your group
What are some of the other ways you can learn about the candidates and issues?
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33. Role Play: Meeting Candidates - Who would you vote for
Role Play: Meeting Candidates - Who would you vote for? - Why did you vote for them? - What would change your mind?
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34. How Do You Vote?
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35. How Do You Vote? Mail in my ballot
With a touch-screen voting machine at a polling place
With a paper ballot at a polling place
Mail in an absentee ballot
Early voting at the polling place
What are other ways that people can vote?
“I’m talking to you”
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36. List types of voting machines
Add address for your secretary of state website
Add where people can find info about your state voting machines
Add picture or video here about your state voting machine. Or a map of which counties use different voting machines.
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37. Possible Polling Places
library
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38. Possible Polling Places
House of worship
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39. Possible Polling Places
Police Department
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40. Possible Polling Places
school
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41. Possible Polling Places
House of worship
School
Library
Courthouse
City Hall
Private home
Restaurant
Police or fire station
Recreational or community center
What are other possible polling places?
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42. Getting Around Voting Problems
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43. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: You are in the voting booth and you don’t know what to do. Strategy: Bring support with you, ask a poll worker to help, or ask for an audio tape or something else to make it accessible.
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44. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: No or limited accessible parking at the polling place Strategy: Ask if other street parking is available. If no other street parking is available then ask the poll worker to come to your car so that you can vote.
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45. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: Inaccessible route from the parking lot to the polling place door. Strategy: Ask about other ways to get in into the building.
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46. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: Poll worker can not read your writing.
Strategy: Make a mark or bring a signature stamp to the polls when you go to vote
You may need to fill out a form that says how you will be signing your ballot
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47. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: The entrance to the polling is place not accessible or safe for voters who use wheelchairs or walkers. Strategy: Ask about other entrances into the building and call your states Protection and Advocacy organization (P&A) if there is not an accessible entrance.
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48. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: There is not an accessible voting booth at the poll. Strategy: Tell them how they could support you to be able to vote. HAVA says that every polling place should have an accessible voting booth. Check ahead with your Board of Elections to find out if your polling place has an accessible voting booths.
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49. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: The way your state votes does not give you privacy Strategy: Ask the poll worker if they could help you to vote Remember: HAVA gives you the right to vote privately
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50. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: You know you can ask for an absentee ballot before election day, fill it out and send it in but you really don’t want to. Strategy: Remember it is important to show your community that people with disabilities do vote. So work with your community organizations to increase in person voting.
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51. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: You ask for help to vote and the poll worker says they are too busy. Strategy: Tell the poll worker you will wait for them and move aside for others to go through, but do not move out of their sight, if your comfortable don’t move at all.
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52. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: The attitude of the poll worker is negative and you feel uncomfortable. Strategy: Do your best to tell them your needs. If that doesn’t help, ask another poll worker to help you or if you have someone with you, ask them to help.
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53. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: You don’t know how to get support to learn about voting. Strategy: Call your statewide Election Officials, League of Women Voters, P&A, Self- Advocacy Group, and Center for Independent Living, and others.
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54. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: You know that you will need help at the polling place. Strategy: Ask for poll workers from each party if you are alone. You can ask a family member or friend you trust and respect to keep your vote private.
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55. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: The poll worker does not understand your speech. Strategy: Use a communication device or you can ask a family member or friend you trust and respect to translate for you. Tell them you are capable of voting and know how to do it and if needed you can tell them it is your right to vote.
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56. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: Your guardian doesn’t want you to you vote. Strategy: Find out if your guardian has full or limited guardianship. Talk your guardian about why voting is important to you and that you really want to vote. Some advocates do vote against their guardians wishes. You have to decide what is right for you. Don’t give up voting gives you power!
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57. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: You need alternative format (large print or Braille) Strategy: Call your P&A or talk with your self advocacy group about Help America Vote Act (HAVA) the law that is all about accommodations.
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58. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: Someone says they will give you a ride to the polling place if you will vote for the person or issue they want. Strategy: Ask someone else to take you, or your political party might have rides if you plan ahead. If this is the only ride you can get. Let them drive you, ask them to wait outside, and vote for the person or issue you want. If they ask you can say yeah I voted. Get home safe with no fuss.
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59. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: Your support person says they want to go in the voting booth with you but you don’t want them to. Strategy: Say, “I want to try to handle it myself.”
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60. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: The poll worker asks where your guardian is. Strategy: Tell them you do not need a guardian to vote. Tell them you know about the issues and the candidates and HAVA says I have the right to vote.
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61. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: The poll worker says you can’t vote. Strategy: Ask the poll worker to explain why you can’t vote. An example might be you moved and forgot to update your voter registration card, your name changes or any other information.
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62. How to Get Around Voting Problems
Problem: If the poll worker says you still can’t vote after showing you the proof. Strategy: Ask the poll worker for a provisional ballot, and ask the poll worker how the provisional ballot will be counted.
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63. Ways to Get Involved & Building a Voting Community
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64. Ways to Get Involved in Voting
Be a poll worker – Contact your election board and ask to attend a poll worker training.
Before the next election learn how to use the voting machines.
Educate others about voting: your family, community social clubs like: YW and YMCA, Lions, Kiwanis, and, service agencies, advocacy groups, and your friends.
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65. Ways to Get Involved in Voting
Work with the candidates on their campaigns and political platforms (stand on issues).
Help with a petition
pass out registration cards.
Be an advocate for others who need help voting or learning how to vote.
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66. Ways to Get Involved in Voting
Work on proposals to increase accessibility.
Attend the primary caucus which means a meeting where a candidate gets support and is given more information on the issues. A candidate who is running for office like when a self advocates run for President or Treasurer. The candidate talks about the issues and how they would solve problems this is their political platform.
What are other ways to get involved in the voting process?
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67. Building a Voting Community
Hold trainings at your election’s office.
Invite legislators to do parts of your training.
Get involved in a task force on voting.
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68. Building a Voting Community
Go to community meetings about voting.
Send and paper information to your mailing list to find out who is interested in voting
Work with community groups to educate people about voting
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69. Training Plan Who are the team members?
Who are you going to present to?
Where will the training be held?
Where will the resources come from to support the training?
Who will advertise the training (put up fliers, send mailings, link to websites)?
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70. Best Practices For Partnering
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71. Best Practices For Partnering
“In order to work together to improve the lives of people with disabilities, professional organizations and self- advocacy groups must have relationships that are based on understanding, respect and trust.”
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72. Get To Know Each Other What is the name of your group?
What is the groups mission and vision?
What is the group responsible for?
What are some of the other things that the group is involved in?
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73. What Are We Doing Now? What Are We Doing Now? What’s Working?
What’s Not Working?
What Are the Opportunities to Work Together Now?
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74. Why Working Together is Important?
WORKING WITH P&As:
We Speak in one voice
We Provide legal back-up
We Share Information
We Strengthen our work with legislators
We Add credibility(value truth, and honor each other)
Collaboration (work on voting issues and more)
Self advocate read this slide
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75. Why Working Together Is Important?
WORKING WITH SELF ADVOCATES:
We Speak in one voice
We can speak up and do things the P&A can’t
We share information
We Strengthen our work with legislators
We Add credibility (value truth, and honor each other)
Collaboration (work on voting issues and more)
P&A read this slide
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76. Best Practices For Partnering
Grow Your Relationship
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77. Best Practices For Partnering
Make a Formal Agreement
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78. Best Practices For Partnering
Build Your Partnership Over Time
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79. Best Practices For Partnering
Help Each Other Build Bridges
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80. Best Practices For Partnering
Don't Give Up
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81. Small Group Discussion
Instructions
Choose a note taker and presenter
Choose an activity to partner on
Obstacles that would make the partnership hard
Solutions
How will you support each other in hard times
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82. How Do We Feel Now? What is Working Better What’s Still Not Working
What Are the New Opportunities
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83. Evaluation
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