The Power of the Disability Vote

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----- Original Message ----- From: "Justice For All Moderator" <jfa@...><justice@...>Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 12:11 PMSubject: The Power of the Disability Vote> "The Power of the Disability Vote"> > Following is an excellent analysis by NOD's Brewster > Thackeray regarding the impact of the disability community > in the 2000 presidential election and the difference the > disability community may make in the 2004 election. Let's > make sure we are all registered to vote, and then follow-up > by casting our votes, to continue making the disability > community a voting block that can't be ignored!> > Young> JFA Moderator, AAPD> > ===============================> > The Disability Vote Made History in 2000. In 2004, It May > Do So Again.> > By Brewster Thackeray> Vice President & Director of Communications> The National Organization on Disability > > What politician can afford to overlook one-fifth of the > nation's voting-aged population? That massive slice of the > electoral pie comprises the roughly 40 million Americans > with disabilities who are of voting age. Though not as > cohesively identified as other minority groups, the > disability vote is one that politicians ignore at their > peril.> > The 2000 presidential election proved the significant role > voters with disabilities can play. Historically, only about > a third of people with disabilities vote in American > Presidential contests, but this surged to 41 percent in > that year's race, according to an N.O.D./ poll > conducted at the time. Grassroots "Get out the disability > vote" efforts deserve much of the credit. So do organized > campaigns to ensure that people with disabilities were > informed of their right to register and vote; efforts to > ensure that service providers met their legal requirement > to offer their clients the opportunity to do so; community > efforts to make polling places and voting machines more > accessible; and, one can assume, the issues and positions > that the candidates presented to voters.> > The week before the 2000 election, a poll conducted > for the National Organization on Disability found Vice > President Al Gore trailing Texas Governor W. Bush, > 43 to 48 percent. But that same poll found that people with > disabilities overwhelmingly supported Gore, 54 to 30 > percent.> > Assuming that those latter percentages were indicative of > how people voted, and knowing that 41 percent of those with > disabilities did vote (comprising 16.4 million people), > Bush received almost five million votes from this > community. Gore got nearly nine million.> > That difference of four million votes made a huge impact in > this exceptionally close election. With them, Gore won the > popular vote. Without them, he would not have. > > What if people with disabilities had voted at the same rate > as other Americans - just over 50 percent - while their > split on the candidates remained constant? Bush would then > have had six million votes to Gore's 10.8 million from this > community. The gap between them would have increased by > less than a million votes, but recall how close this race > was (Gore took the popular vote by 544,000), and that well > under a thousand votes would have tipped Florida's final > count. If only Florida voters with disabilities had turned > out at the same rate as other Florida voters, the Supreme > Court would never have had a case to decide.> > If people with disabilities voted at the rate of other > Americans, Gore would have had a more decisive victory in > the popular vote and won the electoral college, likely > without challenge. By contrast, if people with disabilities > had voted at the lower rate they did in 1996 (31%), Bush > would have won the popular vote and secured the Electoral > College too.> > > What message does this give the candidates running for > President in 2004? > > According to the survey, the now-incumbent > President, W. Bush, did not fare well with the > disability vote in 2000. However, he secured a significant > minority of this population segment's vote, which he > needed. His 2004 campaign should know better than to take > this voting segment for granted, and must reach out to it > aggressively (unless he is so confident of a landslide that > he is willing to cede much of it to the Democrats). Of > course, heading into an election season that will demand he > focus on domestic issues, disability issues could be a > natural focal point for the president's "compassionate > conservative" ideology. As he demonstrated in unveiling his > New Freedom Initiative in 2001, this President knows that > disability rights have a cross-partisan appeal. > > During the 2003-2004 primary season, the Democratic > candidates were quite responsive on disability issues. Just > as they made efforts to connect with other minority groups, > including women, Hispanics, African-Americans, and > homosexuals, they did substantial outreach to the > disability community and its supporters. Dean took > an early stand when he released his disability platform on > the ADA's anniversary in July, 2003 - the earliest a > candidate has brought such a focus to disability in a > primary contest. Through the fall, Wesley , > , Dick Gephardt, Kerry, Joe Lieberman, Dennis > Kucinich and Carol Mosely Braun released significant > disability statements. Links were posted during the > primaries, and remain for those with active websites, at > www.nod.org/election2004.html.> > , Dean, , Gephardt, Kerry, and Kucinich > responded to specific questions that the American > Association of People with Disabilities posed to them last > fall about including people with disabilities in their > campaigns, making judicial nominations, Medicaid, and the > Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. , Dean, > , Kerry and Kucinich responded to ADAPT's survey > about community-based long-term health care. Dean, , > Gephardt and Kerry accepted former Congressman Tony > Coelho's challenge to prioritize disability issues.> > Kerry, now the presumptive Democratic nominee, has released > a comprehensive 22-page disability policy platform. His > fellow Vietnam veteran, former Georgia Senator Max Cleland, > has been a prominent member of the Kerry team. Cleland, who > lost both legs and an arm in Vietnam and uses a wheelchair, > has bolstered their candidate's connection to the > community, as have a credentialed team of disability > advisors. > > Many people with disabilities are going to vote Democrat or > Republican based on a plethora of reasons that may have > nothing to do with disability. Yet certain issues have a > particular connection for a population group where only > one-third are employed, many of those underemployed; where > medical costs and insurance are frequent worries; where the > availability of affordable transportation and housing are > key to one's quality of life; and where the civil rights > promised by the ADA for employment, community services, and > access can have a daily impact. Voters who may not have > disabilities but who have relatives and friends who do, or > who work as caregivers and service providers, will also > focus on these issues.> > The late disability advocate and "Father of the ADA," > Dart, used to tell people, "Vote as if your life > depends on it. Because it does." Many have responded to > that call in the past, and a variety of advances will make > it possible for more to in the future. The Help America > Vote Act of 2002, advances in voting machine technology, > and the enforcement of polling place compliance with the > Americans with Disabilities Act are making the voting > process ever more accessible. Americans with disabilities > made the 2000 election a close one. If they had split their > vote differently or gone to the polls in different numbers, > history might have been changed. In 2004, with another > close election likely, voters with disabilities will play > an important role again. > > # # #> > =====================> > All JFA postings from 1995 to present are available at:> www.aapd-dc.org/JFA/JFAabout.html > > =====================> > NOTE: Some Internet Providers (including AOL, Earthlink and > Juno) may see JFA postings as spam because of the large > volume of JFA mail recipients and fail to deliver the > posting. If this happens, the JFA system may automatically > unsubscribe some email addresses. 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Be a part of a national > coalition of people with disabilities and join AAPD today. > www.aapd-dc.org> > =====================================================================> Justice-For-All FREE Subscriptions> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send mail to majordomo@...> with one or the other in the body of your message:> subscribe justice> unsubscribe justice>