We all know sometimes our advocates are capable of telling rhetorical whoppers. Like, the canard about there being over 50 million people with disabilities in the United States that, together, form a powerful voting/marketing/whatever block. Yes, there may be that many disabled people technically … but really … united over disability issues? Nah.

So it’s understandable that I read everything any group in our community puts out with a skeptic’s eye.

But sometimes something so obviously off the wall that it has to be false, just HAS to be, turns out to be real. And so it was with yesterday’s JFA Daily, where I read that in Albany, N.Y., if you request help at the poll site then a member of each major party treks into the booth with you.

Yeah, right, I thought. Like THAT happens.

JFA Daily linked to Susan Cohen’s commentary in last Sunday’s Albany Times Union,  where Cohen writes about the need for more accessible voting. It’s a good article, which isn’t surprising, considering Cohen is a project coordinator at the New York State Independent Living Council and coordinator of New Yorkers with Disabilities Getting Equal Voting Access. But when I got to the part where Cohen writes this:

Those who need assistance with current voting machines must have two people -- one from each major political party -- go into the voting booth with them. Can you imagine having a cozy party of three in the booth while you are voting?

I didn’t believe what I read. It’s too bizarre. It’s like the opening of a bad joke, “So a guy wheels into the local polling site where he sees two dudes carrying pamphlets …”

I called the Albany County Board of Elections to find out what the deal really is. And guess what? It’s exactly as Cohen writes it. If there’s no accessible machine where you vote and you bring someone to help you, then you can cast your ballot, just the two of you. But if you get there, find out none of the machines are accessible and request assistance then yes, you have to suffer the attentions of both major parties at the same time … in a very small space.

I wonder if the party reps don horns and halos for their roles. You know, one rep on one shoulder saying, “Do it! Just do it! Vote for Lou C. Fur, he’ll provide the strong leadership and security our people deserve,” while the other rep on the other shoulder says, “You must vote with your conscience, Johnny. But ask yourself, could a guy wearing a red polyester leisure suit possibly be capable of giving good advice?"

This deal in Albany makes me wonder what other bizarre voting practices disabled people are forced to go along with. If you’d like to share a strange disability-related voting story, send it my way at josie@newmobility.com.

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