The Arc of the United States Call to Action to Increase Political Participation of People with Disabilities

Since 2016, The Arc and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) have worked in partnership on the REV UP Campaign to increase the political participation of people with disabilities.

The REV UP Campaign, launched by AAPD in 2016, is a nonpartisan initiative that coordinates with national, state, and local disability organizations to increase voter registration, education, access, and engagement. REV UP stands for Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power!

Today, The Arc and AAPD are reaching out to invite chapters to participate in National Disability Voter Registration Week (NDVRW) this year from July 16-20, 2018 to get more people with disabilities registered to vote and engage civically.

Chapters of The Arc have an important role to play in encouraging our networks to vote, but it’s important to know the rules! Do a quick refresh on the do’s and don’ts around 501 (c) 3 organizations participating in voter engagement to ensure that your efforts stay non-partisan and non-political. You can check out resources from Alliance for Justice. The Arc of The United States will also be hosting a webinar on legal guidelines in June (more information coming soon).

The REV UP Campaign developed a National Disability Voter Registration Week Toolkit to help organizations and advocates plan their involvement in NDVRW.

Below are a few ideas on how to engage in NDVRW:

• Host a voter registration event at your chapter or a public venue. Is there a non-partisan/non-political organization that does voter registration in your area? Consider inviting them to an existing event that you are already hosting! Be sure to write down the number of people you register so we can measure the impact of NDVRW.

• Utilize your email, and social media networks to provide information on voter registration while also encouraging people to commit to vote on Election Day. The Arc will be providing sample social media messaging and graphics.

• Host a workshop or training on the voting rights of people with disabilities.

• Host a workshop or training on your state’s voting laws and process and consider including a demonstration on how to use an accessible voting machine. Your local Elections office can be a great partner here.

• Hold a press event or conference with local partners to announce national and local efforts to get new people with disabilities registered to vote, educated on disability issues, and committed to get out the DISABILITY VOTE. The NDVRW Social Media Toolkit includes a press release template.
• Make your organization a polling place (Resources: How To Serve As A Polling Site and ADA Polling Place Checklist). You may be able to partner with a local center for independent living, your state protection and advocacy agency, your state Council on Developmental Disabilities, a local Paralyzed Veterans of America chapter, or a local library to help expand your reach and impact.

If you have voter engagement events or activities planned during the year, please share them with The Arc and AAPD so we can update the REV UP Campaign’s State Resources and Events web page to both promote your events and resources as well as document our collective efforts this year. You can send information directly to Zach Baldwin at [email protected].

We thank you in advance for your help to increase the participation of people with disabilities in voting. If you have any questions, please contact Claire Manning (The Arc of the United States) or Zach Baldwin (AAPD).