ALBANY, NY - An interactive post-election poll conducted by Zogby International found that some New Yorkers who self-identified with a disability ultimately held back support for Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry in last November's election.

Based on a total sample of 1,039 participants, only 50% of the people who self-identified with a disability voted for Senator Kerry, while 42% opted for President Bush, 7% Ralph Nader, and 1% other. It should be noted that this outcome occurred even when party affiliation was proportionate to state enrollment for the sample.

"While eight percentage points is still considered to be a sizeable margin of victory, the result is atypical of other trends revealed in the poll and the popular vote," remarked Brad Williams, executive director of the New York State Independent Living Council (NYSILC).

The state's popular vote gave 58% to Kerry, 40% Bush, and 2% to Nader. New Yorkers polled who did not self-identify with a disability voted at a rate that mirrored the state's popular vote.

Williams felt a combination of three factors could have contributed to the unanticipated shift in voting behavior in New York. First, Senator Kerry selected a running mate who made a significant misstep with the disability community at a campaign stop in Rochester, NY before Super Tuesday. Senator Edwards' campaign cancelled the sign language interpreter for the rally despite the large deaf community in Rochester. The Senator also shook hands with attendees en route to the podium.
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What's Inside?

• Zogby Poll (Pages 1 & 2).
• "Where the Rubber Fails to Meet the Road" (Page 2).
• Travel Industry Impact Page 3).
• Sue's "Empowerment Corner" (Pages 3 & 4).