Frontline Initiative: Advocacy and Voting

Rev Up to Vote: Accessibility at the Polls and Beyond

Author

Heidi S. Smith is the Executive Director of STEP, Inc., in Fairmont, Minnesota. Heidi can be reached at hsmith@stepinc.org

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The word vote is in large read leader across the top of the image. The letter "o" in vote is filled in with red, with an image of the state of Minnesota in white. Inside the image of Minnesota in red are the words “I will vote.” The bottom half of the image has "2024" in large black numbers.

Exercise your right to vote in 2024!

Heidi is looking at the camera smiling with her head tilted to her right. Heidi has chin length, straight blonde hair and dark eyes.

Heidi S. Smith

Voting is a fundamental right of every American citizen. And yet many individuals with disabilities struggle to gain access to voting or understand their rights related to voting. REV UP Minnesota strives to educate and empower individuals with disabilities and those who support them with tools that remove barriers to voting and empower them to exercise their right to vote in all elections.

What is Rev Up Minnesota?

What is REV UP Minnesota? REV UP’s mission is to build the power of the disability vote through increasing civic engagement in the disability community and improving the accessibility of elections more accessible. REV UP stands for “Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power!”(1) One way we do this is through the Voter Empowerment Toolkit on The Arc of Minnesota webpage . Individuals can learn how to register to vote, learn about their voting rights, and learn about any changes that have taken place in Minnesota related to voting access.(2)

Sometimes the hardest part of understanding voting rights is knowing where to find the answers. In 2023, The Arc of Minnesota and AAPD (American Association of People with Disabilities) collaborated and created the “How to Vote in Minnesota: A Quick Guide for People with Disabilities Voting in 2023 Local Elections.”(3) Although it is from last year, this is yet another tool to help set someone in the right direction to understand how to overcome obstacles to voting. The information is up to date.

Direct support professionals supporting people at the polls

As a direct support professional (DSP), you may support someone who is voting in person or with an absentee ballot. You will be asked to sign an affidavit at the polling location stating your role in supporting the individual you are with to vote. You can also help someone at a polling location with “curbside voting” if getting out of the vehicle is a barrier for them to vote in the polling place. Early voting, either by absentee ballot or early onsite voting, may be another alternative to voting in person on election day. Minnesota supports all these voting options. Be sure to collaborate with the individual you support and create a plan to vote ahead of time.

Grassroots efforts are a great way to get involved in advocating for causes and concerns that relate to people with disabilities. In addition to Rev Up Minnesota, Capitol Connectors is also a group of volunteers who support The Arc of Minnesota’s legislative agenda. You can learn more by going to Rev Up Minnesota’s Facebook page, “REV UP MN” .

As a DSP, you may also connect with the state association that aligns with your work in the field of disability services. In Minnesota there are several such organizations: ARRM (arrm.org) supports services for people with disabilities related to residential services and MOHR (mohrmn.org) supports services for people with disabilities related to employment and day support services. ARRM and MOHR host Days at the Capitol, as they did on March 19, 2024, with a rally at the rotunda.

Invitation to get involved

REV UP Minnesota is also a fantastic way for DSPs in MN to get involved! There are different committees working on various aspects of voting and it is quite easy to get involved. If you’d like to join us, contact Gene Martinez at genemartinez@arcminnesota.org. Gene is always welcoming new individuals who are enthusiastic about helping advocate for voting for people with disabilities. You do not have to know anything about voting issues for people with disabilities, just a desire to be engaged and learn. The best way to understand the legislative process is to get involved with it. REV UP MN is a terrific way to begin!

Finally, I wanted to share with you a little about how I got involved in advocating for voting rights for people with disabilities. I think many of you will relate.

Many people do not think of themselves as an expert in the field they work in. But I guarantee you know about what you do and how it impacts the issues that matter to you more than your legislator does. Tell them you are an expert and offer your thoughts about issues important to you. If they ask you something you do not know, say you will find out and get back to them.

I used to be intimidated by the legislative process. I felt like I was not an expert on anything related to the issues I was not enthusiastic about. It was not until I met with a TV reporter randomly at the Iowa State Capitol that I realized I had something to offer. He told me, “Many people do not think of themselves as an expert in the field they work in. But I guarantee you know about what you do and how it impacts the issues that matter to you more than your legislator does. Tell them you are an expert and offer your thoughts about issues important to you. If they ask you something you do not know, say you will find out and get back to them.” I took this advice to heart and began interacting with my state legislators. Eventually, I felt brave enough to talk to my U.S. Senator and U.S. House Representative. The reporter was right. Eventually, I gained a reputation as being someone who either knew about issues related to people with disabilities or knew how to get answers for them. This kind of interaction eventually gave me a voice for my passions in ways I never would have believed if I had not taken that TV reporter’s advice.

You do have expertise and a heart for people with disabilities. Use that to make your voice and passion heard to help those we support to understand their voting rights.

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