Get out the vote: Jeanine Santucci about accessibility in the voting booth

Voting is a civic duty, an essential right in a democracy. However, as Santucci explains in her July 26, 2020 essay, people with disabilities face barriers to voting, even decades after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed. As you read, consider both Santucci’s immediate argument, about the pressing issues faced by people with disabilities, and the larger implications of inaccessible voting in a democracy.

Jeanine Santucci, "30 Years after the ADA, Access to Voting for People with Disabilities is Still an Issue," USA Today, 26 July 2020

 

1. Santucci argues that people with disabilities still lack access to “a fundamental right: the right to vote.” According to Santucci, what are three major issues that prevent people with disabilities from voting? What evidence does she give to support her claim?
   
2. One of Santucci’s sources, Rebecca Cokley, suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic might result in rethinking of “voting methods altogether.” Why does this matter? Use a template from Chapter 7 to respond to these larger “So what?” and “Who cares?” questions. Focus on the broader changes Santucci suggests (“voting by mail, in-person voting, early voting and same-day registration.”) One concept you could consider in your response is the “curb cut effect,” the argument that laws and technologies initially implemented for people with disabilities can end up benefitting everyone.
3. Santucci uses voice markers in her essay to distinguish between the “they say” arguments she cites and her “I say” argument. Locate one place where Santucci uses a voice marker to signal to her reader who is saying what. What voice marking device does she use, and how does it clarify her argument? Then, find a place in Santucci’s essay where it is unclear whose view is being presented. Revise the sentence by adding a voice-marking device, which is explained in Chapter 5.
4. More states than ever are allowing people to vote by mail for the 2020 election. However, this change is not without controversy. Read this report, which explains the history and debates about voting by mail. Then, respond to this question posed at the beginning of the report: Do you think voting by mail decreases civic engagement? Why or why not? What might Santucci say in response?

Comments

[Mia Scarborough]

I agree with the access to vote as an individual with disabilities, I believe every human being has the right to vote because they also have a voice. I understand some people have mental disabilities that give them a way,different way of thinking but just because someone voted doesn't mean that's the end of the world. If anything it'll just mix into the rest of the votes just like the other peoples' votes. Meanwhile with the mail ballots, I also agree with because with the spread of this deadly virus we need to do anything we can to protect not only us, andour families but as well as the people around us. I believe the only reason a lot of people disagree with the whole mail ballot idea, is because there was rumors that each mail ballot automatically gets a vote for Trump. That's why people are willing to go out to vote then from home to make sure their vote is correct, but in this article it talks about the mail ballot system, and how they reassure the vote won't go straight to Trump.

[Jonathan G.]

When trying to prove that there are significant barriers to voting with disabilities Santucci states "The GAO surveyed a sample of 178 polling locations in the 2016 election and found that 60% of them had at least one potential barrier to access a voting location, the most common of which were related to ramps, signage for accessible paths, and parking or path surfaces". Santucci uses the phrase "The GAO surveyed" to identify who had conducted the research and also used the word "found" to identify the conclusions drawn from the research. In some instances in Santucc's article she does not use quotes when telling something that another author has said. for instance "... mail-in voting isn't always accessible to voters with disabilities, Bishop said". In my opinion this sentence would be better written as (some people like Bishop think that voting by mail will actually alienate disabled voters even more than in the past.)

[Danielle Kessler]

3. Further down in the article, she said " Nobody should have to make a choice between being able to cast their ballot and protecting their health," said Michelle Bishop. She made she she quoted the persons name who was giving their input about the situation. She is using a marking device by adding this quote because she is incorporating it in to her article. She is agreeing with what Michelle Bishop is saying. She also mentions that "More than 4 million Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and deaths from the virus have now surpassed 145,000". It is hard to see what the view is in this sentence. Is she saying the amount of deaths is increasing or decreasing? She does not mention who is speaking and does not use any descriptive words to develop the writers voice.

[Dionisio Julien Yason]

Santucci clarifies that Michelle Bishop is the one speaking in the quote "Nobody should have to make a choice between being able to cast their ballot and protecting their health".

In the paragraph where Santucci writes about blind voters, it is unclear whether or not her words are her own, or those of Bishop who she was quoting in the paragraph prior. To make it clearer she could have said "Bishop continues..." if it was Bishop's idea, or she could have said "Adding to Bishops argument, I would point out that...".

[Elizabeth G]

In response to question #3 listed above.

"Health experts know that the virus poses more of a danger to people with certain disabilities and underlying conditions, which makes whether to vote in-person come November a health decision for many people." This sentence uses the voice marker "health experts know that" and this voice marker is used to state what the author believes to be a fact. This way of stating it with the voice marker show what stance she is taking and what she believes.

"For those who need to vote in person, the pandemic further complicates things. The number of polling places may be dramatically reduced, so people have to travel further distances to reach them, Cokley noted."
I believe that this sentence is a little unclear about whether or not she agrees with this idea or opinion. At first I thought it was her idea and then she said "Cokley noted" so it is a little unclear who is saying what. In order to make it more clear she could have said something like "I agree with Cokley when he states that 'the number of polling places may be dramatically reduced' and that 'people [will] have to travel further distances to reach them. This is an important fact for those with disabilities and they already face more challenges then they should have to. We should make voting as easy as possible for those with disabilities so that they too can voice their opinions."

[Camron U]

In the article Santucci writes "'It has real consequences for voters on Election Day, when you show up to your polling place, and the equipment that's accessible to you isn't even ready, or the poll workers haven't been trained on it,' Bishop said". This is an example of a "they say" voice marking because its a quote that came from another person and it helps clarify Santucci's argument because it backs up the idea that poll places aren't getting as many voters cause not all the voters have access. Santucci writes "Mail-in voting is in the spotlight as a potential solution to reducing the virus spread that comes with big crowds and in-person interactions at the polls.". She isn't clear if this is her opinion or a common general idea. Revised sentence "in my opinion the mail-in voting is in the spotlight as a potential solution...".

[Kylie P.]

About part way in the article, after Cokely speaks, Santucci goes straight into the next paragraph "more than 4 mill....". In that paragraph at the end we see a "Bishop said." But no where in the article are there air quotes to specify where Bishop was talking. I have also noticed in the article that she is using a lot more of the "they say" rather than the "I say". It is easy to tell that she doesn't use her opinion a whole lot, rather she quotes others more than herself.

[evelyn r]

Santucci introduces a counter argument when speaking about the GAO survey, "Of the sites where the GAO could also examine whether there was an accessible voting system present, most polling places had them. But taken together, the GAO study in 2016 found that only 17% of the surveyed sites had completely barrier-free access for people with disabilities." When she uses the phrase "but taken together" she is disagreeing with the previous passage.
Santucci continues the article and says (Bishop said Americans with disabilities must remember that spirit and advocate now for their right to vote going forward.) In my opinion there would be less confusion if it was written as " To add to Bishops argument, Americans with disabilities must remember that spirit and advocate now for their right to vote going forward."

[Emily p.]

"I honestly think it's because I'm little" Colkey said. "People in front of me were not asked. People behind me were not asked. And I was like 'what?" Sanntucci uses quotations marks to show who said what. She makes it very clear that Colkey was talking and not her. However right after that in her paragraph that goes, more than 4 million americans have been diagnosed with covid-19... She doesn't put quotations to clarify if it was her or someone else speaking, now if it would have been her speaking she needed to indicate that it was her and not someone else, sanntucci needed to speak more clearly and in her words. She makes it seem as if it was the bishop talking and not her.

[Alyssa Layman]

So in the article she points out a quote from WHO I thought wrote the article. "no one should have to choose health or voting." she goes on to the stance voting is a right everyone has which I believe is a marking device. The article. Voting is going to be drastically. different with covid-19 They talk about the deaths and people testing positive though it's mentioned it's unclear how she feels about other than it's making things difficult. She does mention mail in voting though I can't tell if she thinks its helpful or not enough to help people. I also found myself confused on who was speaking I almost thought it was Michelle Bishop who was talking, but that is not the case.

[J Faust]

Santucci uses quotation marks to indicate what Blake says about equipment not being ready that would make it accessible for people with disabilities to vote. This clarifies her argument that even if the equipment is available it’s useless if it’s not being utilized.
In the following paragraph, it’s not entirely clear if Bishop made the entire statement.
Mail-in voting is in the spotlight as a potential solution to reducing the virus spread that comes with big crowds and in-person interactions at the polls. It is generally heralded as a positive thing, expanding the options to vote for Americans, including many disabled voters. But mail-in voting isn't always accessible to voters with disabilities, Bishop said.
This might be better:
Bishop said that mail-in voting is in the spotlight as a potential solution to reducing the virus spread that comes with big crowds and in-person interactions at the polls. It is generally heralded as a positive thing, expanding the options to vote for Americans, including many disabled voters. But mail-in voting isn't always accessible to voters with disabilities.

[Emmanuel]

According to santucci, we have over 61 million American living with a disability and it's been over three decades after ADA was signed, still people with disabilities are still facing barriers exercising their fundamental human right: Right to vote. They still face access issues with include inaccessible polling location, untrained poll workers and non working machine to vote and government should work more in making sure, people with no disability and people with disability have equal right in exercising their fundamental human right.

[Christina]

In the article is point is made by Blake, “More and more often people are just giving up and voting with assistance ... so the trend in our surveys has been fewer blind voters are voting independently at the polls," Blake said. According to this opinion it seems to be made by Santucci “I honestly think it's because I'm little," Cokley said. "People in front of me were not asked. People behind me were not asked. And I was like, 'What?'

[Zachery T]

Jeanine Santucci wrote in her article "Mail-in voting is in the spotlight as a potential solution to reducing the virus spread that comes with big crowds and in-person interactions at the polls. It is generally heralded as a positive thing, expanding the options to vote for Americans, including many disabled voters. But mail-in voting isn't always accessible to voters with disabilities, Bishop said." When first reading this part of the article I thought initially Santucci was in a favoring opinion of mail-in voting. But I became slightly confused when she finished the section with a quote from Bishop stating that it still isn't enough for all disabilities. I'm not really sure going back now and reading where her view and opinion is or where Bishops begins. She could have instead said something along the lines of. While mail-in voting offers a reduction in the risk of spreading Covid-19 and includes more options for people with disabilities, it still doesn't effectively give access to all disabled voters. As Bishop said "mail-in voting isn't always accessible to disabled voters."

[Adetola E.]

Replying to question number three

"It's making every option as accessible as possible, which, oddly enough is what we recommend any year, not just during COVID-19," This is an example of they say but she didn’t state the name of the person she quoting Bishop said. "Under the law, every option that a non-disabled voter has also has to be accessible to voters with disabilities. So it's really just bringing to light some of the things that we should have been doing all along.”. This is an example of they say and she state that she is quoting Bishop. I also believe that people with disabilities should be able to vote confidentially and easily.

[Arwa A]

Santucci clearly mentioned what “They say” at the beginning of her essay: “activists and advocates say people with disabilities are still facing barriers exercising a fundamental right: the right to vote.”

However, it was not clear who is saying in this part of the essay: “But Americans with disabilities still face access issues when they go to vote, including inaccessible polling locations, under-trained poll workers and nonworking voting machines for people with disabilities.”

In order to correct that, I would suggest using “in my opinion”. For example, “But, in my opinion, Americans with disabilities still face access issues when they go to vote, including inaccessible polling locations, under-trained poll workers and nonworking voting machines for people with disabilities.”

[Max Urena]

Santucci uses multiple voice markers in her article. She uses voice markers before she states when someone is about to speak. Santucci says "they say". When talking in the article Santucci says " Bishop said " which is an example of a voice marker. It clarifies her argument because it shows the reader whose talking and decreases confusion. One sentence that is confusing because readers don't know whose talking is ""Unfortunately, you don't ever get to rest." Instead we could revise it and say, Bishop also adds that "Unfortunately, you don't ever get to rest." In chapter 5 it states that voice markers are important to help readers be able to identify the speaker and getting a better understanding of the writing.

[Sara Mims]

3. In the article it says ‘"COVID's going to result in the largest boom in the disability population since AIDS and HIV, if not bigger," Cokley said.’ Santucci clearly states their names of people who puts their input on what they’re saying. The voice marking device she uses is the workers who work on voter access initiatives for the National Disability Rights Network. She mentions “More than 4 million Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and deaths from the virus have now surpassed 145,000.” Which doesn’t really go with the article but maybe she was trying to say COVID-19 really put an impact on this year election.

[Niang Lian]

In the article, "It has real consequences for voters on Election Day, when you show up to your polling place, and the equipment that's accessible to you isn't even ready, or the poll workers haven't been trained on it," Bishop said. Because of the Covid-19 the government gave a chance to vote for the election. Now more than 4 million Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and deaths from the virus have now surpassed 145,000. Mail-in voting is in the potential solution to reducing the virus spread that comes with big crowds and in-person interactions at the polls. Bishop said, "Voting by mail, in-person voting, early voting and same-day voter registration need to be options this year and during every election." Voting is the most important thing to do for the country because no one wanted to be hand it in to a bad leader of the country, so if the disabilities cannot voted, it not fair for them. because they have their own voices and the right to vote. In March 1990, disabled activists who were gathered in Washington, D.C., to push for the passage of the ADA abandoned their assistive devices to crawl up the steps of the Capitol Building in a visible demonstration of the inaccessibility they faced in public spaces and the need to urgently move the legislation through Congress. Bishop also said that, "Americans with disabilities must remember that spirit and advocate now for their right to vote going forward." Also, mail-in is not too bad because some might think that, it will not get the right voting system. If it's not get the correct voting, it would be the governments fault.

[Alexia Z.]

It is very important when establishing an argument that one presents both sides. In "30 Years after the ADA, Access to Voting for People with Disabilities Is Still an Issue", Santucci uses "Nobody should have to make a choice between being able to cast their ballot and protecting their health," and this signals that this is what 'they say'–further said by Michelle Bishop. Santucci uses the voice markers of quotations to point that the quotes are not hers and also says "Bishop said". This 'they say' clarifies her argument because it supports her introductory paragraph and provides support from Michelle Bishop as a source. In Santucci's essay, it could be seen as unclear whose side is being presented when the essay reads, "People with disabilities make up the country's largest minority group, with 61 million Americans living with a disability." Instead of just stating this, it would be helpful to use some kind of phrase/voice marking like "according to.." or "Because ___ says this, (quote) means ____".

[Amanda C]

1) Santucci argues that people with disabilities still lack access to “a fundamental right: the right to vote.” According to Santucci, what are three major issues that prevent people with disabilities from voting? What evidence does she give to support her claim?

The three major issues that prevent people with disabilities from voting are ramps, signage for accessible paths and parking or path surfaces. She supports her claim by giving statistics from a recent GAO survey. I agree with her claim that these are genuine issues for people with disabilities to vote. When I went and voted today, I noticed there were no wheel chair ramps and the polling location was down a set of stairs. The other thing I noticed was that all the stands to vote at were quite tall so anyone in a wheelchair or short in stature would not be able to vote privately. Everyone has the right to vote and vote privately there needs to be more effort given to help support this for voters with disabilities,

[Mynhia V.]

4. More states than ever are allowing people to vote by mail for the 2020 election. However, this change is not without controversy. Read this report, which explains the history and debates about voting by mail. Then, respond to this question posed at the beginning of the report: Do you think voting by mail decreases civic engagement? Why or why not? What might Santucci say in response?

I believe that voting by mail will decreases civic engagement because not a lot of people will take it seriously. Some people would not care to fill out the form ballot. Also, people may disregard the form. But it is also good for the disability people, so they don't have to go stay in line and wait to vote.

[Paige R]

According to Santucci, people with disabilities still lack access to the right to vote. Things like voter registration as well as voting location should be improved to make voting more accessible. To support her claim, a survey was done saying that either ramps, signage to accessible paths, and or parking surfaces were not available, making voting difficult for those with disabilities. Another survey also showed that ballot collectors were not accessible for those in wheelchairs.

[Nate E.]

Election 2020
Santucci argues that people with disabilities still lack access to “a fundamental right: the right to vote.” According to Santucci, what are three major issues that prevent people with disabilities from voting? What evidence does she give to support her claim?

A major issue that was found according to Santucci is individuals with disabilities having access to polling locations. “The GAO surveyed a sample of 178 polling locations in the 2016 election and found that 60% of them had at least one potential barrier to access a voting location, the most common of which were related to ramps, signage for accessible paths, and parking or path surfaces.” Which essentially meaning that they do not have access to the buildings to get in and vote. Another problem that people with disabilities is not having properly trained individuals in the polling locations. For people that are blind, they found that volunteers at the polls do not have the proper training to assist those people, with using what machines and how to use them. “Blind and low-vision people, for example, may be unable to fill out a paper ballot and require the accommodation of an electronically delivered ballot that can be filled out by computer, printed and then returned, or may require an accessible voting machine to be used in person.” The last thing that is being talked about in this article that stood out to me is typically a disabled voter is not heading to the polls alone they have someone assisting them which is great, however, a problem then becomes, the person voting, their vote is not private.

[Austin H]

More states than ever are allowing people to vote by mail for the 2020 election. However, this change is not without controversy. Read this report, which explains the history and debates about voting by mail. Then, respond to this question posed at the beginning of the report: Do you think voting by mail decreases civic engagement? Why or why not? What might Santucci say in response?

Overall, I think voting by mail doesn't decrease civic engagement. The reason I believe this is because I think that civic engagement depends more on the current society and the problems that we are all facing, that is what gets people wanting to vote and are encouraged to vote. Voting by mail also gives people another way to vote which can be much more convenient for the elderly, people with disabilities, or people that are too busy to go in person.