From the Hartford Courant, March 29, 2002:

Make Voting Accessible To All
Chris Kuell

March 29 2002

As the Connecticut General Assembly discusses the pros and cons of old-fashioned hand-lever voting machines vs. newer touch-screen electronic models, let's not forget about our blind and physically disabled voters.

I am one of more than 45,000 blind residents of Connecticut. I am also a husband and the father of two wonderful kids. I work, pay taxes, own a home, travel independently and do a lot of volunteer work with the blind in our state.

I go to church, take care of the house, cook most of our meals and maintain several gardens with vegetables that I start from seed. I own and use power tools; I've painted my garage and built my kids a tree fort. Last summer, along with the help of another blind guy, I totally renovated my master bathroom.

I can do most things by myself. But one thing I can't do is vote independently. I have to have sighted assistance for this.

Sure, I can have one of the election volunteers at the voting booths help. But how can I be certain they will cast my vote the way I want? I have no idea who these people are, what their politics are or how they feel about the mental capacities of blind voters. There is no way for me to ascertain if they voted the way I indicated.

The right to vote independently and privately is fundamental to a democracy. There is a reason that people go into a voting booth alone. There is a reason that people pull the curtain behind them before they place their vote. Our voting system is designed with absolute freedom in mind - freedom to vote for whomever we want, free of pressure from any outside observer. This freedom needs to be extended to the blind and visually impaired.

Voting reform is inevitable. After the fiasco of the 2000 presidential election, I don't think anyone can deny that. Americans take a lot of pride in this country being the leader of the free world. If we expect to continue to command the respect that comes with that title, we must not accept any voting system that is subject to challenges. We must not accept any system that can be perceived as substandard.

Moving to an electronic system is the logical choice. This is great for blind and visually impaired people because speech technology has progressed to a point that makes almost anything electronic operable by a blind person. Just last month, Fleet installed 15 ATMs with voice-guidance technology - four of them in Hartford - and enabled blind residents of Connecticut to use ATMs independently for the first time. Earlier this month, some voting districts in California, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas used, for their primary elections, voting machines with voice activation and other aids for the blind. At the 2001 convention of the National Federation of the Blind, three different vendors had voice-guided voting machines on display. Nothing new needs to be invented here; the technology already exists.

Of course, the largest objection to changing to newer voting technology is cost. It will cost about $3.2 million to refurbish Connecticut's hand-crank machines for another five years of use, vs. $10 million to $15 million for electronic machines. The federal government is considering legislation that would pick up some of the state's costs.

There are things that I absolutely need sighted help with, and I am appreciative of the many people in my life who provide such assistance and have helped me get to where I am today.

I am very grateful to have the opportunity to vote and express my concerns. But this is a no-brainer.

The number of senior citizens in our country is increasing every day, so the ranks of the disabled are growing. We all have a constitutional right to vote independently and privately; this should not even be a debate.

It is time to move forward and update our voting system so that every American can be counted.

Chris Kuell of Danbury is vice president of the National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut.
Copyright 2002, Hartford Courant


http://www.ctnow.com/news/opinion/op_ed/hc-blind0329.artmar29.story?coll=hc%2Dheadlines%2Doped


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