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September 7, 2009
Media Contact: Lisa Tarricone
914.523.8922
ASSEMBLYWOMAN SANDY GALEF WILL JOIN
DISABILTY ADVOCATES TO PROMOTE BALLOT MARKING DEVICE
White Plains – Assemblywoman Sandy Galef
[D-Ossining] will join disability rights advocates on Thursday, September
10 as part of a statewide public awareness campaign to promote use of the
new voting Ballot Marking Device (BMD) in the upcoming primary election and
beyond. The BMD has accessible features that allow voters with disabilities to
vote privately and independently in accordance with the 2002 federal Help
America Vote Act (HAVA). The event will take place at 11:00 AM at
Westchester Independent Living Center (WILC) at 200 Hamilton Avenue in White
Plains.
Assemblywoman Galef, along with representatives from
leading disability rights organizations in the county and individual advocates,
will provide comments and answer questions about using the BMD machines.
Advocates stress that the machine is also designed to enhance the voting
experience for all voters, not just those with disabilities, allowing
options for enlarging print, modifying contrast on the ballot and guidance in
navigating candidate choices.
“It is unfortunate that voters have note been
adequately educated about these accessibility features and the BMDs have been
minimally promoted,” says Lisa Tarricione, Director of Systems Advocacy
for Westchester Independent Living Center. In addition, 17 counties across the
state have petitioned the governor to allow them to retain their lever
machines. HAVA calls for the full implementation of a standardized, accessible
voting system within each polling place. Currently in New York, 47 counties
will be fully compliant with a BMD and optical scanner in each polling place.
The intent of HAVA is to ensure the civic right of all
voters to be able to cast a ballot privately and in the same place and manner.
Until the implementation of the BMD within polling sites throughout the state,
New York voters with disabilities were denied this fundamental right.
“I have waited 40 years for the opportunity to
vote privately and independently,” says Karen Gourgey, President of the
Greater New York Chapter of the American Council of the Blind. Under HAVA
“I now have the same opportunity for access and participation as everyone
else.”
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