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For Immediate Release September 9,2002		For more information contact: Tim Cronin (518) 458-1600 Todd Vaarwerk (716) 836-0822 Ext.101

Individuals with Disabilities Continue to Encounter Inaccessibility at Polls

Inaccessibility and obstacles in the voting system in Erie County will hinder voting by disabled individuals in next Tuesday’s elections, according to Todd Vaarwerk of the Independent Living Center of Western New York in Buffalo.

The existing voting system is especially difficult for blind voters, and members of the Buffalo media are invited to join two blind Buffalo residents as they attempt to vote at their local polling district in tomorrow’s primary.

Mark Montgomery and Shelly Bamrick will be available at Epiphany United Church at 2205 Genesee St. in Buffalo at 9 a.m. Both are available to speak to the media on camera tomorrow about the difficulties they have encountered when attempting to vote.

New York has 3.6 million people with disabilities, which is 20.6 percent of the population, and 3.3 million are voting-aged. With 1.3 million New Yorkers with disabilities voting in 2000, nearly 2 million New Yorkers with disabilities are eligible but not registered to vote.

"Voting is more difficult than it should be for many in this population," said Vaarwerk. "To close this gap, individuals with disabilities are demanding more accessible voting systems that will facilitate parity, but many are still hampered at the polls, especially the blind."

Although the number is shrinking, the Federal Election Commission reports that at least 20,000 polling places across the country are not fully accessible to voters with disabilities. The majority of the country continues to use antiquated voting machines that are especially problematic for disabled and older voters.

Twenty percent of the country, including New York, uses lever machines, which require physical strength and coordination for successful operation, and many of which cannot be operated from a wheelchair.

"By contrast, the most disability-friendly voting system is computerized voting. This format is currently used in less than ten percent of the country's polling places," Vaarwerk said .

In spite of the difficulties, America's disability community continue to cast their ballots in record numbers. A Harris Poll shows that 14 million Americans with disabilities voted in the 2000 Presidential Elections, up dramatically from 11.3 million in 1996. This represents an increase from 30 to 41 percent of voting-aged people with disabilities, but still substantially lower level than that of the entire population, roughly 50 percent.