Blind voters fear loss of privacy with shift to mail voting
Originally published June 14, 2020 by Associated Press
Dorothy Griffin, of Atlanta, poses for a portrait in Atlanta. Blind voters like Griffin fear a loss of control over their ability to cast a ballot as election officials across the U.S. plan a major expansion of voting by mail amid the coronavirus pandemic. Griffin requested an absentee ballot for Georgia’s primary Tuesday, but she gave up waiting for it and decided to cast a ballot in person on the last day of early voting to avoid crowds on Election Day. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
In three legal actions, advocates for those who have vision loss or are blind insist that states offer alternatives to paper-and-pencil mail voting. Paper ballots require a helper to read and fill out. This makes it impossible to cast an independent, private vote. Several states including Delaware adopted an internet-based system that is compatible with many common assistive technology devices. However, election security experts criticize online systems as too dangerous to justify the possible accessibility benefits.
Read the full story from Associated Press here.
This entry was posted in News, Outside CDS and tagged Accessibility, elections, voting.