Yesterday, the Pew Research Center released a report entitled A Political Profile of Disabled Americans. Based on an analysis of their American Trends panel, the report details how Americans with disabilities compare to Americans without disabilities on interest and engagement in the election, voter registration and turnout, and ideological leanings. We are asking you to please share this report widely, especially with your local press, so that it can potentially generate greater media coverage of voters with disabilities.
This report is significant in that it provides new and substantive data on Americans with disabilities and their engagement in the political process. Not only does the report capture the demographic enormity of Americans with disabilities and detail the challenges they face at the polls, but it also shows that in many ways, the disability voting bloc is similar to voters without disabilities. The analysis of how many Americans with disabilities show up to the polls, as well as the finding that disabled Americans are ideologically mixed and do not overwhelmingly identify with any political party, means that the disability vote carries significant power and should be courted by all candidates and parties seeking election or reelection.
It is important that we spread the word of this report particularly on a local level, as this will increase interest from local communities and the press in understanding and profiling voters with disabilities. We ask that you reach out to your local press with the report and ask them to provide press coverage of voters with disabilities in your community. When discussing issues of importance to your CIL with the press, please also mention that CILs and voters with disabilities want to see Congress pass the Voting Rights Amendment Act. We hope that drawing the attention of the press on many levels will convince the Pew Research Center to continue to collect and publish data on Americans with disabilities in the future.
If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Blahovec, NCIL Disability Vote Organizer, at [email protected] or Jim Dickson, Co-Chair of the NCIL Voting Rights Subcommittee, at [email protected].
