WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.540 align:middle line:90%


00:00:10.540 --> 00:00:15.380 align:middle line:84%
Health care, taxes,
education system, employment.

00:00:15.380 --> 00:00:17.470 align:middle line:84%
These are the issues that
matter the most to me.

00:00:17.470 --> 00:00:19.180 align:middle line:90%
Every right, my right.

00:00:19.180 --> 00:00:20.460 align:middle line:90%
I'm a part of my community.

00:00:20.460 --> 00:00:22.450 align:middle line:90%
And my right to vote matters.

00:00:22.450 --> 00:00:24.820 align:middle line:84%
Are you prepared to vote
in the next election?

00:00:24.820 --> 00:00:26.860 align:middle line:84%
This is a series of
videos discussing

00:00:26.860 --> 00:00:30.070 align:middle line:84%
the rights of voters with
disabilities in South Carolina.

00:00:30.070 --> 00:00:31.990 align:middle line:84%
In this video, we
will review some

00:00:31.990 --> 00:00:34.150 align:middle line:84%
of the obstacles a
person with a disability

00:00:34.150 --> 00:00:35.840 align:middle line:90%
might come across when voting.

00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:37.810 align:middle line:84%
If you would like to
learn more about voting,

00:00:37.810 --> 00:00:39.790 align:middle line:84%
the other videos in
this series discuss

00:00:39.790 --> 00:00:42.750 align:middle line:84%
who is eligible to vote,
how to register to vote,

00:00:42.750 --> 00:00:45.880 align:middle line:84%
and the four ways a person with
a disability in South Carolina

00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:46.780 align:middle line:90%
can choose to vote.

00:00:46.780 --> 00:00:52.170 align:middle line:90%


00:00:52.170 --> 00:00:55.270 align:middle line:84%
While Alicia always knew
she wanted a big family,

00:00:55.270 --> 00:00:57.390 align:middle line:84%
she never imagined
that she'd be parenting

00:00:57.390 --> 00:00:59.700 align:middle line:90%
her children from a wheelchair.

00:00:59.700 --> 00:01:01.380 align:middle line:84%
And while a spinal
cord injury has

00:01:01.380 --> 00:01:04.410 align:middle line:84%
changed how this busy wife
and mother does things,

00:01:04.410 --> 00:01:07.920 align:middle line:84%
she still loves to dive into
home improvement projects.

00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:10.290 align:middle line:84%
Alicia has always been
a committed voter.

00:01:10.290 --> 00:01:12.420 align:middle line:84%
Yet once she became
a wheelchair user,

00:01:12.420 --> 00:01:14.640 align:middle line:84%
she learned that
accessibility issues still

00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:16.680 align:middle line:90%
exist in polling places.

00:01:16.680 --> 00:01:19.680 align:middle line:84%
Each of the four ways a person
with a disability can vote

00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:21.810 align:middle line:84%
has different advantages
and disadvantages

00:01:21.810 --> 00:01:24.300 align:middle line:84%
depending on a person's
individual needs.

00:01:24.300 --> 00:01:26.280 align:middle line:84%
For people with
disabilities who choose

00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:28.380 align:middle line:84%
to vote in person
on election day,

00:01:28.380 --> 00:01:30.330 align:middle line:84%
certain barriers can
make it difficult

00:01:30.330 --> 00:01:32.850 align:middle line:84%
or even impossible to
cast their ballots.

00:01:32.850 --> 00:01:35.340 align:middle line:84%
Some of the hardest barriers
a person might encounter

00:01:35.340 --> 00:01:37.340 align:middle line:90%
are in the parking lot.

00:01:37.340 --> 00:01:41.030 align:middle line:84%
For example, some locations
have unpaved surfaces and lack

00:01:41.030 --> 00:01:43.400 align:middle line:90%
needed curb cuts and ramps.

00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:45.410 align:middle line:84%
Once you get inside,
people can continue

00:01:45.410 --> 00:01:48.080 align:middle line:84%
to see many barriers such
as long lines that can be

00:01:48.080 --> 00:01:51.580 align:middle line:90%
challenging in which to stand.

00:01:51.580 --> 00:01:53.710 align:middle line:84%
Or voting machines that
don't have headsets

00:01:53.710 --> 00:01:56.260 align:middle line:84%
available to allow people
with visual impairments

00:01:56.260 --> 00:01:57.670 align:middle line:90%
to vote privately.

00:01:57.670 --> 00:02:00.060 align:middle line:84%
Voting machines have a
universal headset jack.

00:02:00.060 --> 00:02:03.610 align:middle line:84%
So you might want to bring in
your own headset just in case.

00:02:03.610 --> 00:02:05.920 align:middle line:84%
Some poll workers may
have a limited experience

00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:09.190 align:middle line:84%
working with people with
various types of disabilities.

00:02:09.190 --> 00:02:12.490 align:middle line:84%
For smoother voting experience,
it is best to know your rights

00:02:12.490 --> 00:02:15.610 align:middle line:84%
and be prepared to advocate
for yourself if needed.

00:02:15.610 --> 00:02:17.710 align:middle line:84%
Curbside voting is
an available option

00:02:17.710 --> 00:02:19.970 align:middle line:90%
for voters with disabilities.

00:02:19.970 --> 00:02:21.730 align:middle line:84%
This allows them to
remain in the car

00:02:21.730 --> 00:02:25.390 align:middle line:84%
and avoid potentially long
lines or physical barriers.

00:02:25.390 --> 00:02:27.160 align:middle line:84%
Although poll
workers are supposed

00:02:27.160 --> 00:02:30.430 align:middle line:84%
to check the curbside voting
area every 15 minutes,

00:02:30.430 --> 00:02:32.980 align:middle line:84%
it is not always
monitored that frequently.

00:02:32.980 --> 00:02:35.590 align:middle line:84%
Another problem some
voters have voting curbside

00:02:35.590 --> 00:02:38.830 align:middle line:84%
is that the voting machines
are very heavy and often placed

00:02:38.830 --> 00:02:41.710 align:middle line:84%
in the voter's lap for
lack of a better place.

00:02:41.710 --> 00:02:45.430 align:middle line:84%
Lastly, other people in the car
who do not have disabilities

00:02:45.430 --> 00:02:48.750 align:middle line:84%
are not allowed
to vote curbside.

00:02:48.750 --> 00:02:51.240 align:middle line:84%
Absentee voting is also
available for people

00:02:51.240 --> 00:02:53.610 align:middle line:84%
with disabilities
in South Carolina.

00:02:53.610 --> 00:02:55.530 align:middle line:84%
Should Alicia choose
to vote this way.

00:02:55.530 --> 00:02:57.750 align:middle line:84%
She would have the benefit
of voting in her home

00:02:57.750 --> 00:03:00.120 align:middle line:90%
before mailing it back.

00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:02.220 align:middle line:84%
Using an absentee
ballot, also allows

00:03:02.220 --> 00:03:04.620 align:middle line:84%
people to fill out a
ballot at their own pace

00:03:04.620 --> 00:03:07.530 align:middle line:84%
and with the assistance of
another person if needed.

00:03:07.530 --> 00:03:10.680 align:middle line:84%
By voting this way, a voter can
avoid potentially long lines

00:03:10.680 --> 00:03:12.970 align:middle line:84%
and physical barriers
at polling places.

00:03:12.970 --> 00:03:15.900 align:middle line:84%
However, voters who choose
to vote absentee sometimes

00:03:15.900 --> 00:03:18.660 align:middle line:84%
miss the experience
of voting in person.

00:03:18.660 --> 00:03:21.450 align:middle line:84%
They also don't have the benefit
of using the voting machine

00:03:21.450 --> 00:03:25.140 align:middle line:84%
technology such as the
headsets and Braille buttons.

00:03:25.140 --> 00:03:27.600 align:middle line:84%
Another way a person with
a disability can vote

00:03:27.600 --> 00:03:31.030 align:middle line:84%
is by using the in-person
absentee method.

00:03:31.030 --> 00:03:33.720 align:middle line:84%
This allows a voter to
vote in person on a machine

00:03:33.720 --> 00:03:36.690 align:middle line:84%
at the county's designated
location in the days leading up

00:03:36.690 --> 00:03:37.980 align:middle line:90%
to the election.

00:03:37.980 --> 00:03:40.920 align:middle line:84%
While in-person absentee is
not quite the same experience

00:03:40.920 --> 00:03:43.170 align:middle line:84%
as voting on election
day, it gives people

00:03:43.170 --> 00:03:45.150 align:middle line:90%
flexibility on when to vote.

00:03:45.150 --> 00:03:47.430 align:middle line:84%
The location is
accessible and the staff

00:03:47.430 --> 00:03:52.010 align:middle line:84%
trained to accommodate
people with disabilities.

00:03:52.010 --> 00:03:54.260 align:middle line:84%
Whichever method
people choose to vote,

00:03:54.260 --> 00:03:57.110 align:middle line:90%
each has its own pros and cons.

00:03:57.110 --> 00:03:59.300 align:middle line:84%
Each provides options
and opportunities

00:03:59.300 --> 00:04:02.770 align:middle line:84%
to individuals with
disabilities to vote.

00:04:02.770 --> 00:04:19.000 align:middle line:90%