Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should enact the Voters with Disabilities Bill of Rights to establish that voters with disabilities have equal access to the ballot as nondisabled persons.

Whereas, according to the 2018 American Community Survey, 40,600,000 people with disabilities live in the United States, totaling approximately 13 percent of the noninstitutionalized United States population; Whereas researchers from the School of Management and Labor at Rutgers University found a continued gap in participation between voters with and without disabilities in the November 2020 elections; Whereas a national survey sponsored by the Election Assistance Commission found that 11 percent of voters with disabilities experienced difficulties with voting in the November 2020 elections, nearly twice the rate of voters without disabilities; Whereas, despite the size, diversity, and the interest of people with disabilities to participate in the United States electoral system, elections in the United States are woefully, inexcusably, and unjustly not fully accessible to all voters; and Whereas, despite the demonstrated investment of the disabled community in elections, people with disabilities continue to turn out to vote at a lower rate than their nondisabled peers: Now, therefore, be it That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should enact the Voters with Disabilities Bill of Rights to establish that voters with disabilities have equal access to the ballot as nondisabled persons, including— (1) ensuring that voters with disabilities have the right to a private and independent vote, whether voting in person or remotely; (2) requiring that voters with disabilities have equal access to voter registration; (3) ensuring that voters with disabilities have the right to request accommodations and materials in accessible formats while voting; (4) requiring that voters with disabilities have the right to the assistant of his or her choice while voting, with the exception of the voter’s employer or union representative; (5) ensuring that voters with disabilities have the right to request to move to the front of the line at polling places, or be provided seating or another form of accommodation; (6) ensuring that new ballots are made available for voters with disabilities who make mistakes while filling out their ballots; (7) ensuring that voters with disabilities have the right to vote after the polls close if they are in line, or waiting to vote curbside, prior to the polls closing; (8) requiring that voters with disabilities have the right to request accommodations or an alternative method of casting their ballots if their polling places are inaccessible; (9) ensuring that people with disabilities who have a guardian also have the right to vote and that they can advocate to have their right to vote restored, if it was taken away in the guardianship process; (10) requiring that voters with disabilities are adequately able to report violations of their voting rights and advocate on problems they experienced while voting; and (11) ensuring that voters with disabilities have access to voting systems and materials in polling places that are accessible and well-maintained.

Summary: This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should enact the Voters with Disabilities Bill of Rights to ensure that voters with disabilities have equal access to the ballot.