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Count Us IN wants to make political participation more inclusive, equitable

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Long voting lines and broken machines are just a few of the problems disabled voters face.

An Indy nonprofit is asking Hoosiers for help to make political participation more inclusive and equitable.

Voting rights across the board is hot topic but, for thousands, it’s not just rights they are up against. In the most recent election cycle, blind Hoosiers filed a lawsuit about their inability to cast private absentee ballots. Advocates said that’s one of many problems that needs to be solved.

“Indiana being one of the few states that did not allow ‘no excuse’ vote by mail put a lot of people in the disability community at risk,” Jalyn Radziminski said.

Radziminski founded Count Us IN. The nonpartisan nonprofit seeks to increase political participation in all pockets of society. While ethnic minority groups get attention, the focus is also heavily on the disabled community: a group that faced major challenges in the state’s last election, particularly blind Hoosiers.

“They had some additional barriers where not only they had ‘no excuse’ to vote by mail, they weren’t able to vote absentee privately the way our rights guarantee we should be able to,” Radziminski said.

It was enough of a problem that the American Council of the Blind Indiana filed a lawsuit. The doesn’t seek cash reparations but instead calls for reasonable accommodations and auxiliary aids to blind voters in absentee voting.

“The system as it is right now is a paper ballot in the person with a disability is not able to privately cast their vote and they’re also not able to choose the person who they wish to assist them,” said Nikki Gray with Indiana Disability Rights.

Count Us IN said, in addition to the lawsuit, the community as a whole can work together. While the lawsuit plays out, the nonprofit is calling for volunteers as they work to convene a statewide voter rights’ coalition. “We have a lot at stake if we want as many voices heard as possible,” Gray said.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of blind voters could take several years to reach a conclusion.

The Governors’ office emailed WISHTV to provide information about a new bill that will take effect during the next election cycle that provides “disabled voters additional reasonable accommodations and permits the use of adaptive technology allow them to vote privately and independently. This option will be available for the next election in 2022.”