Voting Experience

Election in Memphis

EDITOR'S NOTE: Below are two of the staff at Disability Connection's experience voting this election. 

 Kendra Brown:

Voting has always been important to me. I have been voting since 2000. I am amazed by how technology has improved over the years. When I first started, if there was more than one  visually impaired person  trying to vote at the same time somebody had to wait  until the other person was finished so they could be able to vote. There was only one machine. 

Today the machines are two in one.  I like this  method better  because it saves on cost for the county, and this way allows more than one visually impaired person to vote at the same time. I took my kids and I went to vote on a Saturday. The process took about 20 minutes. A poll worker assisted me in verifying  my info was correct, presented me with my ballot and assisted me to a machine.  After I completed the process I printed the ballot  and a poll worker assisted me to the ballot box to drop mine in. I felt comfortable in using the machine independently to make my voice be heard. 

Christina Clift:

As I stood in line waiting to vote this morning, I enjoyed watching people. That’s one of the reasons I like to vote on Election Day. You might find that weird considering I am blind, but you’d be amazed by what you can learn about a person just by pointing your ears in the right direction. As the line moved along, I kept a running tally of who I thought was voting for which party. This pastime kept me occupied so waiting wasn’t so boring and after 15 minutes it was my turn. 

In 1957, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr delivered his speech “Give Us the Ballot” at the Lincoln Memorial which advocated for giving African Americans the right to vote in the United States.  His speech is as relevant today as it was sixty-seven years ago.  In recent years voter suppression has become more rampant through passage of voter identification laws, closing polling locations, and by access barriers for people with disabilities the right to a fully accessible voting process. I was hopeful that my voting experience would go smoother than it did four years ago. Amazingly, it did. I was able to cast my vote independently and secretly without any assistance.

When I stepped up to the table with my cane and photo ID in hand, I met a volunteer that knew exactly how to help me. After all, it is not too often someone knows how to help a blind person sign their name in the correct spot. But he did. 

He asked me whether I wanted assistance in voting and I replied no that I would use the audio ballot. He gathered up what I needed and sent me down to the next station where I signed my name once again but without the same level of help. Finally, I made it to my machine. The poll worker was a bit too helpful, assuming that I didn’t know where to insert my ballot or plug in the headphones. But I looked over it because I knew she didn’t get to see too many blind voters using the machines by themselves.

I worked my way through the ballot, selecting my choice for president, U.S. senator, the House of Representatives, Millington alderperson, and school board representatives. I simply used the arrow keys and pushed the square button with the “letter S” in braille on the controller when I reached my choice. 

I reviewed my ballot and cast my vote. Next, I headed to insert my ballot into the ballot box. I plucked my “I voted” sticker off the wall and headed for the door.