Like Pulling Teeth: My 2008 Voting Story
I got up early, and arrived at the polling place about 6:30 am. This is my regular polling place, so I knew that I'd be on the books. I'd previously voted at the Center for Disability Rights because prior to this election, it was the only polling site that had an accessible voting machine. Now, with the state slowly crawling into compliance with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), there would be an accessible voting machine at every polling place, so it would no longer serve in that capacity.
The site was wheelchair accessible, and I was able to get in the door by myself, even though the ramp and the doorway were narrow. The voting area was a small room; it looked like the only accessible part of the church. There was a very short line, so I reasoned that this shouldn't take long.
Election inspectors quickly found my name, and I signed on the dotted line. The fun began when I asked to use the accessible machine. There was hemming and hawing, and a flurry of activity, and finally, I was told that I'd have to wait because the machine wasn't ready. "Why isn't it ready", I asked. "The machine is supposed to be set up, and ready when the polls open".
"Well, this is all new, an experiment", replied Vicky, one of the election inspectors. "We don't know how to use these machines. They're brand new". "What if someone else wanted to use the machine before I came", I countered. "Oh, it's only for the disabled", said Vicky. "No", I asserted. "It's for anyone who wants to use it, not just for us. The New York State Board of Elections decided that several months ago. If you do this, you're separating my vote. This is segregation, Jim Crow, Apartheid stuff"! "That's an interesting attitude you have about this", mused Vicky. "It's true", I replied. "It's a separation of our vote. People will know automatically that everyone who voted on this machine is someone with a disability. This is not good. Will our votes even be counted"? "Oh yes", said Vicky. "Will they be counted today, along with everyone else's?" "Yes!"
I took a deep breath. I really didn't believe her, but I wanted to get this over as quickly as I could. I knew that I'd be making calls to the media, and the Monroe County Board of Elections later on, so I decided to pay close attention to what happened while I was here.
Presently, I was led to the accessible machine. Apparently, they'd gotten it ready during my exchange with Vicky. I was advised that the process would take 30 minutes. Of course, I was not pleased! Then we started.
The experience was not pretty! First, I felt a stab of fear as I noticed that the voting machine was about a foot from the stairs! Vicky, and Mary, another election inspector, promised that they wouldn't let me get hurt. They then tried to set up the machine. It kept saying that the ballot was unreadable. Neither Vicky nor Mary knew how to operate the Ballot Marking Device, or BMD. They kept referring to the manual. Finally, Mary tried to call in for help, but couldn't get through. Vicky finally called her husband, who tried to walk her through the process. It turned out that they were loading the ballot in the wrong direction, and they had not entered the proper number. Finally, I got to vote.
The actual process took only about 10 minutes - still too long for me, since I've been known to get through voting on an electronic machine in 5 minutes, or less! When I went through the review process, strangely, I had to vote again! The inspectors tried to take my ballot, but I told them that I hadn't yet cast my vote. We went through the review process once more, and when Mary went to take my ballot, I said "Wait"! I then hit the green "Cast" button, my ballot slid into a box, and the number on the machine went from 0 Voters, to 1 Voter!
Whew, it was FINALLY over! Too bad it felt like pulling teeth.
Published by Anita Cameron
Anita Cameron hails from Chicago, IL, and is the younger of twins. She holds degrees in Biology, and Computer Information Systems. Drawing on her passion for social justice and change, she became involve... View profile
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7 Comments
Post a CommentThat is just unbelivable. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. What you said is well true--they would know all the votes from that machine came from the disabled. UGH--these are getting me riled up!!!
You know, Anita, The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) might publish this in their magazine, called "PM" for public management, and you would get a stipend. Or, the National League of Cities. In my experience, of course there are exceptions, city clerks (who oversee the elections) are the most honest and hard-working people.
Glad you were finally able to vote, Anita!
There are specific laws and guidelines regarding accessible parking spaces, but these, like voting laws regarding accessible polling sites, machines, etc, are rarely enforced. Unfortunately, its up to people with disabilities to act as watchdogs and force jurisdictions to obey and enforce the laws. This is not as easy as it sounds, which is why ADAPT ends up doing quite a few protests. Its a shame that this is often the only to get things done. It would be so much easier all around if people would listen to, and work with the disability community. Once in a while this happens, but for the most part, we're forced to "get radical".
Excuse me - I was not trying to say that parking in a handicapped space is the same as voting. I am just saying that these things don't seem to be thought out carefully. I also had a special pass to use the "teachers only" elevator but it was broken for months so that did no good. I can't really fault them for that because everyone was inconvenienced equally. Some teachers were in wheelchairs and they gave them classrooms on the first floor.
I can relate. While I am not disabled, I was temporarily affected when I had a severely broken foot. I had to park in the handicapped parking because it was winter and icy and the other spaces were far away from the school buildings. Guess what? The handicapped parking space was in a rut, so all the ice formed there and on the ground nearby! Try walking on ice on crutches. I slipped plenty, even with the rubber tips on those crutches. I see many "handicap- accessible" parking spaces today that are more dangerous than regular spaces. Is this legal?
That definitely does not sound fun. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. :-)