On September 12th, the Alliance Center for Independence and REV UP NJ celebrated Disability Voting Rights Week with our annual Make the Disability Vote Count event at the State House Annex in Trenton. The event kicked off with live entertainment and a visit from the Caravan for Disability Freedom and Justice.
Over 100 disability advocates and allies, including members of several of NJ's Centers for Independent Living, voiced the importance and strength of the disability vote in this year's election.
On September 19th, dozens of disability advocates and voting rights experts will be attending The Power of the Disability Vote, an event held at the NJ State House Annex on 131 West State Street in Trenton. Time is set for 12:00 noon to 3:00 PM. This event is open to the public.
The purpose of the day is to underscore the importance of the disability vote in this year’s gubernatorial election. “With nearly 12% of the state’s population identifying themselves as having a disability, we need to show the candidates that our issues need to be addressed,” says Carole Tonks, Executive Director of Alliance Center for Independence.
On September 14th, legislation was introduced in the United States Senate that will protect access to the ballot box of voters and will make it easier for citizens to cast a ballot in a secure but convenient way.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the bill, the Freedom to Vote Act, will:
Required every state to have automatic voter registration.
Make Election Day a federal holiday.
Provide that eligible citizens could request a mail ballot and drop it off at a secure drop box if they so desire.
Restore federal voting rights to returning citizens who have been released from prison after serving their sentences.
Ban partisan gerrymandering and makes it easier for judges to strike down legislative district maps that unfairly entrench one political party in power and deny communities of color fair representation
