Voting access for disabled is focus of forum at Library

The Athens-Clarke County Elections Office calls it a disability voting rights education fair: it takes place from 3 til 7 at the Library on Baxter Street. It comes as the Athens-Clarke County government  works to register and educate voters with disabilities on local election processes.

From the Athens-Clarke Co government website…

The Athens-Clarke County Unified Government Elections Department invites residents to attend an open-house style education fair related to disability voting rights on Wednesday, September 13 at the Athens-Clarke County Library (2025 Baxter Street) from 3:00 to 7:00 PM.

Several community partners and ACCGov Elections staff will be in attendance during the fair with informational booths and resources to share. Election equipment will be set-up for attendees to learn how to use the equipment and accessibility features.

The event is being hosted in conjunction with the American Association of People with Disabilities’ (AAPD) Disability Voting Rights Week, which takes place September 11-15, 2023. The week is a national, nonpartisan initiative to empower communities through voter registration, education, and community engagement. The overall goal is to make sure people with disabilities are registered and ready to vote in upcoming elections.

According to AAPD, there are an estimated 38 million Americans with disabilities who are eligible to vote. In Georgia, people with disabilities voted at a 7.9% lower rate than nondisabled voters in 2022. Additionally, one in seven voters with disabilities across the country reported difficulty voting.

During Disability Voting Rights Week, ACCGov is working to register and educate voters with disabilities on local election processes.

For additional questions, contact the Elections Department at 706-613-3150 or visit www.accgov.com/elections.

Elections Website

©2023 Cox Media Group