Thread: Anti-Political
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Old Nov 14, 2021, 09:15 PM
SprinkL3 SprinkL3 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by downandlonely View Post
Yes, Texas allows us to choose.

However, they have are very strict about mail in ballots. A lot of states let people mail in in 2020 due to Covid. In Texas you could only do it if you were over 65, disabled, or actually out of the country. So I had to vote in person or not at all. I did early voting so it was not that crowded and wore a mask. They also had these disposable finger condom things.
The virus is airborn/aerosolized, not fomite-heavy. They should chuck the finger condoms.

Thankfully, Idaho still allows (as far as I know) anyone to vote absentee. They will still need some sort of proof of residence by mail, but they don't need proof of disability. I happen to be disabled anyway, but really anyone could elect to choose absentee. Most people out here are red anyway, so they don't care unless they see an uptick in left-leaning votes.

Also, the disparities for voting are such as these:

1. Not everyone has affordable healthcare to get diagnosed with a disorder in order to be deemed temporarily or permanently disabled. Copays costs money, and going to a doctor just to get yet another appointment to prove to the DMV, the voting registrar, etc., that they are disabled or that their condition is disabling becomes an added risk to them, an added monetary risk as well as an added risk of exposure or accident should they go out. These people are often overlooked for voting rights, and they often need absentee ballots available to give them equal opportunity (equity) to vote.

2. Many people wait months or years to get Social Security Disability just to prove they are disabled. These people would be least likely able to vote in person. They also are least likely to have the means to download forms off the internet to vote absentee. They therefore are the least likely to vote, even though they are the most likely to want to vote. The laws making it impossible for caregivers to assist such person with voting make it more likely that millions of disabled voters won't get to vote. And many of them would be more likely left-leaning, which the right and right-moderates despise. So such laws are written to keep such votes out as well. It's a dirty trick when gerrymandering isn't working.

3. Many people who, for whatever reason, refuse the vaccination may still want to vote absentee so that they aren't exposed to potential virus, especially in flu season (during November) when the voting season typically occurs. They may be immunocompromised and not deemed "disabled" by SSDI yet, but nonetheless at risk in crowded, prolonged situations such as polling booths and long lines - esp. if indoors.

4. Many minorities (by age, race, (dis)ability, etc.) who are hospitalized in psych wards or in hospitals don't realize that they can vote absentee, but you don't see many people going to bat to inform them either. This population rarely votes, if they did accurate data collection on voters to begin with. They may also be the least likely to vote if they are hospitalized.

5. Some younger adults are disabled or at high-risk, but they can't stand in long lines and also can't get the disability stance in time to vote absentee. They then choose not to vote at all.

6. This pandemic has increased the likelihood of avoiding identification renewals in crowded places like the DMV and passport application areas, so many people go without having proper ID to vote in person, but can vote absentee with proof of who they are by lease and other means, such as birth certificates or otherwise. When laws get passed where they can't vote absentee in certain states, then it means these people (most often minorities) can't vote. Minorities are not just racial minorities, but also the disabled.

7. Homeless persons are often excluded from being helped with voting. They are also largely without identification. But there are ways they can find alternative documentation to prove who they are in order to vote absentee or in person. Many homeless are disabled, but they aren't "substantially" disabled through programs like SSI or SSDI, so they miss out on a lot. This is why they are often forgotten. Sadly, their votes would matter, as many of them are in fact U.S. Citizens, but they are forgotten by society. They also are more prone to not vote, even if the choice was presented to them. They simply lack the education and therefore the internal strengths to find resources to vote.