Barriers to the ballot: Georgia voters with disabilities working to improve access to the polls

Laura Nwogu
Savannah Morning News

Savannah resident Jessica Mathis was bedridden with sickness while the 2020 senate elections were underway. Her cerebral palsy had made riding public transport to the polls a difficult and unbearable task. A dip in the weather, and Mathis experienced severe cramps that made voting by absentee ballot her only option. 

But what was supposed to be a solution that made it easier for people to cast their votes on Election Day became yet another obstacle. By the time the deadline to vote had rolled around, Mathis had not received her absentee ballot. 

“I’ve had several difficulties with getting the absentee ballot out for the last couple of years. Especially with COVID and the different things with COVID that was going on at that time, it made it very difficult for a lot of people with disabilities including myself to get the absentee ballot,” Mathis said.

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According to a report by Rutgers, voter turnout surged among people with disabilities in 2020 during the height of the pandemic with just over 52% of voting by mail before election day. However, the report also found that 11% of voters with disabilities had some type of difficulty voting in 2020. 

Jessica Mathis, who has cerebral palsy, is a member of the nonpartisan voting initiative, Revup GA and advocates for improved voting access for voters with disabilities.

Barriers to the ballot can range from inaccessible polling places —  steep ramps and poor path surfaces —  to inaccessible voting machines, lack of training for poll workers, inadequate registration and voting accommodations and election information that is unreadable for some. Even with the use of absentee ballots, those with visual and dexterity impairments are at a disadvantage. 

“You have different types of disabilities,” Mathis said. “You have physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities, visual and then you have some people that have medical conditions that are disabling like arthritis or diabetes or high blood pressure. All of these things have an impact.”

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Coupled with the risk the pandemic poses for disabled people with certain chronic, preexisting health conditions, people with disabilities are forced to overcome an extraordinary set of challenges every election cycle.

And in Georgia, a state under the microscope nationally for voting issues that have resulted in rejected absentee ballots and long lines that wrap around the block in communities that rely on polling places, the plight of voters with disabilities is exacerbated.

Jessica Mathis, who has cerebral palsy, is a member of the nonpartisan voting initiative, Revup GA and advocates for improved voting access for voters with disabilities.

It's an unfortunate reality that prompted disability advocates like Mathis and Brunswick resident Mary Fashik to take a stand. 

The politics of disability

Fashik is the host of the award-winning podcast “The Politics of Disability” where she takes a deep dive into how politics and disability intersect and allows those living with disabilities to talk about the issues that matter most to them.

Fashik has cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair to move about. The very first polling place she utilized when she moved to Brunswick was a church. The Americans with Disabilities Act does not apply to churches meaning the building does not have to be handicapped accessible.

Mary Fashik is a disability rights advocate and the host of the award-winning podcast “The Politics of Disability."

Because of the lack of an accessible entrance, poll workers had her enter through the back door. “What does that say to me as a human being that I have to go in the back door to exercise my right to vote?”

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Fashik noted that Georgia’s new voting law, also known as Senate Bill 202, has her jumping through even more hoops when voting by mail. The controversial law has been criticized for its restrictive voting practices and impacts elements such as voter ID laws to the distance at which food and water can be distributed to voters waiting in line.

“Drop boxes have now been moved inside the buildings. Most buildings are not accessible to the disabled,” Fashik said. 

“If your signature is not exactly your signature on your voter registration card, they will invalidate your ballot and for someone like me almost disabled and my handwriting is getting progressively worse. Are you going to tell me that my ballot is a fraud? Because I'm unable to duplicate the signature that I was able to do when I was not as sick?”

It’s barriers like these that Fashik and Mathis note that most people don’t pay attention to. And with the new law comes a set of rippling effects that make voting a hassle.

In a July episode of her podcast, Fashik was able to have her concerns heard front and center. She discussed voter suppression, along with other issues such as the lack of affordable, accessible housing, health care, and the myths surrounding Medicaid expansion, with Stacey Abrams.

Mary Fashik is a disability rights advocate and the host of the award-winning podcast “The Politics of Disability."

Mathis is now a grassroots connector for RevUp GA, a nonpartisan national voting initiative focused on advancing the power of the disability vote.

The organization is made up of grassroots and national organizers who aim to foster civic engagement and protect the voting rights of Americans with disabilities through outreach programs and informational events.

“I know that a lot of people are discouraged by the process of voting now, but you just have to keep fighting. You have to keep working towards it," Mathis said. 

Laura Nwogu is the quality of life reporter for Savannah Morning News. Contact her at LNwogu@gannett.com. Twitter: @lauranwogu_