Letter: State's sets example on helping disabled vote

It is concerning that in a country reputed to be the ideal democracy, attacks on the voting rights of those with disabilities are met with indifference.

An oft-cited report from 2016 by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found over half of polling places to pose one or more impediments to an individual with a disability. Obstacles ranged from narrow entrances and steep ramps to inaccessible ballot-marking machines that were too outdated to support speech-to-text software.

Calls for changes, however, have yielded one response time-after-time: ask the disabled to have someone else vote for them. Call this negligent or plainly ableist, but forced assistance robs those with disabilities of the right to cast their ballots privately and independently.

So, when federal-level proposals to enhance voting rights are cornered by political division, states like Illinois have taken matters into their own hands. I applaud Gov. J.B. Pritzker for signing SB 829 into law on May 13, mandating the Illinois State Board of Election to construct a remote, accessible vote-by-mail system enabling voters with disabilities to electronically receive and submit their ballots.

The Illinois SBE implemented an electronic system for the June 2022 elections, and SB 829 will continue to enforce that standard for all elections thereafter. In times when other states have committed to enacting measures to restrict the right to vote, I commend Illinois for leading by example.

Dhruv Patel

Elk Grove Village