winning hearts and minds on the access issue - how?

[greeneyedboy]

obviously, the most valid (maybe the only valid) argument for using DREs is that they will allow easy and private access by people with low vision or mobility issues or other physical limitations.

and we all know that if you give the election thieves any cover for their behavior, they'll run with it.

so those of us supporting honest elections MUST address access for all people, and we must have a clear answer when the other side lobs the "they don't care about disabled people" charge, as they certainly will if allowed to do so.

in late 2003 or early 2004, anticipating this issue, i wrote letters to various election-protection orgs asking that they state plainly their plans for ensuring that blind people can vote privately, and people w/ other physical limits can vote easily. at the same time, i wrote letters to disability-rights advocacy organizations asking that they insist on secure, honest elections. i implored both groups, disability-rights groups AND vote-security groups, not to compromise: we *can* have accessibility AND security, and we must.

what is being done about this? what is the 9-second sound bite on this? what is the 30-second elevator speech on this?

i don't want us to be caught off-guard when this subject comes up.