As active members of their communities

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Disability Is No Reason To Strip A Person

canada goose coats on sale It happens like this:In families that include an adult with a developmental disability or mental canada goose clearance illness, a guardian may be chosen to assist with management of their loved one’s finances and health care decisions. Judges are also empowered to make decisions regarding canada goose coats on sale voter participation competency during these guardianship proceedings. canada goose coats on sale

canada goose clearance What does that mean, exactly? It means judges can simply check a box that terminates a basic civil right potentially permanently often with no warning to the voter or the family. constituency whose rights can be taken away based on identity. Another is Disability Rights Maine, which represented voters canada goose black friday sale with disabilities in Doe v. Rowethe case that led the state of Canada Goose Outlet Maine to declare the denial of voting rights based on guardianship as unconstitutional. canada goose clearance

buy canada goose jacket At their core, voter competency laws misunderstand what it means to have a disability based on the outdated buy canada goose jacket cheap notion that people with disabilities are childlike and incapable of having their own opinions or ideas. A number of thestatutes granting judges this poweruse offensive, archaic language like “idiots” and “insane” to refer to people with disabilities. buy canada goose jacket

uk canada goose We canada goose don’t need to canadian goose jacket worry about foreign hackers delegitimizing our elections; we have already shown we are quite capable of turning our own citizens away from the polls. uk canada goose

canada goose No standards or guidelines apply to all cases, either. Individual judges can essentially make up the rules as they go along. Many are either ignorant of or are ignoring the sea change our country has undergone over the past 40 years in terms of how we view people with disabilities and the services and supports available so they can live full and independent lives. canada goose

Canada Goose sale Today, people with developmental, cognitive and psychiatric disabilities increasingly live in their own homes, go to work and pay taxes. They attend school. They buy groceries and go to the movies. As active members of their communities, as citizens and as people whose opportunities to live and work independently can http://www.mycanadagoosejacket.org canada goose deals be enhanced or hindered by public policy, they deserve a say in who represents their interests. Canada Goose sale

Canada Goose Outlet In the same way the Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed literacy tests and other discriminatory and extraneous standards used to turn eligible voters away from the polls, it is time to end voter competency laws. Canada Goose Outlet

uk canada goose outlet Proponents of such laws claim that people with developmental disabilities or mental illness may not fully understand our complex government or be able to make a “good” choice when they mark their ballots. But even if this were true (and it’s not), this makes them no different from their nondisabled peers. government structure. However, because they do not identify as a person with a disability, their right to vote goes unquestioned. uk canada goose outlet

Canada Goose Online And it shouldn’t be questioned, because this right forms the basis of our democracy. Anyone who is eligible and desires to vote is allowed to register. And all registered voters can cast their ballots and have their voices heard. Canada Goose Online

But the 2016 elections turned that notion on its head. Hacking allegations, foreign interferenceand cybersecurityare rocking the elections administration industry. We now find ourselves in the middle of the elections security fight of our lives and in a resurgence of interest in voter competency laws.

As Congress contemplates shoring up America’s elections against known foreign interference, partisan battles rage canada goose outlet about the real threat to fair elections and the consequences of federal intervention in election law. Is the canada goose clearance sale real threat Russian hackers or noncitizens voting? Solutions range from hiring cybersecurity firms to protect voter registration databases and stop Russian hackers to requiring a photo ID to vote in an attempt to stop voter fraud.

canada goose uk shop We aren’t protecting the innocent when we deny them a voice in their government. canada goose uk shop

canada goose black friday sale But allegations buy canada goose jacket of voter fraud are notoriously difficult to prove, and eventually the focuslands on voters with disabilities who may need assistance when casting their ballots. canada goose black friday sale

Take, for example, a voter with a disability who Canada Goose online is active in politics and certain of the candidates she wants to support. She shows up on Election Day ready to cast her ballot.

Canada Goose Parka Like many voters, she finds cheap Canada Goose the layout and language of the ballot confusing; she also experiences some difficulty properly filling in the bubbles on her ballot. But she anticipated this, and she brought a trusted friend along to help ensure she correctly marks Canada Goose Jackets her selections as intended. Her assistant is even asked to sign a legal affidavit while the voter is checking in at her polling place, affirming he will mark the ballot as the voter intends. Canada Goose Parka

canada goose clearance sale Some saywe cannot trust these votes won’t be stolen or unduly influenced. Never mind the fact that a plethora ofelection lawsacross the country already define voter fraud crimes and levy punishment on those who would steal someone else’s vote. canada goose clearance sale

Canada Goose online Rather than rely on those laws, some say the solution is topunish the voterby not letting canada goose coats them vote at all. That’s just absurd. We aren’t protecting the innocent when we deny them a voice in their government. And we do a disservice to people with disabilities when we perpetuate the charade that they are unintelligent, incapable and irresponsible voters. Canada Goose online

canada goose uk black friday Voting is the right on which all other rights depend. We don’t need to worry canada goose store about foreign hackers delegitimizing our elections; we have already shown we are quite capable of turning our own citizens away from the polls canada goose Canada Goose sale uk black friday.

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