Voting

REV UP: Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power

The REV UP Campaign aims to increase the political power of the disability community while also engaging candidates and the media on disability issues. REV UP stands for Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power!

Full political participation for Americans with disabilities is a top priority.  AAPD works with state and national coalitions on effective, non-partisan campaigns to eliminate barriers to voting, promote accessibility of voting technology and polling places; educate voters about issues and candidates; promote turnout of voters with disabilities across the country; engage candidates and the media on disability issues, and protect eligible voters’ right to participate in elections.

Join the REV UP Campaign Email List

Voter Registration Deadlines from USA.gov

I Pledge To Vote

I Pledge to Vote (Microsoft Word)

Get Involved

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  REV UP Images and Toolkits

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  State Resources and Events

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  Statistics

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  2018 Election

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  Voter Resources Center

2018 REV UP Campaign Resources

• Issues Guide
  The Issues Guide provides a comprehensive, yet concise overview of the issues, legislation, and regulations that have a significant impact on the disability community. It is meant to serve as a tool for voters, advocates, candidates, and the media to be better informed on the issues that matter to people with disabilities.
• National Disability Voter Registration Week Toolkit
  The NDVRW Toolkit includes: a guide on how to organize voter registration events, ideas on other ways to participate in NDVRW, sample social media posts and graphics, and other resources. If you are planning voter registration events or other activities, please keep the REV UP Campaign updated on your efforts. While NDVRW 2018 has already passed (July 16-20, 2018), this Toolkit includes useful resources for holding voter registration events.
• National Disability Voter Registration Week Social Media Toolkit
  Sample social media posts and graphics to promote National Disability Voter Registration Week. While NDVRW 2018 has already passed (July 16-20, 2018), this Toolkit includes other relevant sample posts.
• Candidate Questionnaire Template
  This Candidate Questionnaire Template includes a variety of questions addressing topics that are important to the disability community. If you issue a candidate questionnaire for a state or local race, please keep the REV UP Campaign updated on your efforts.
• Candidate Forum Guide
  This Candidate Forum Guide links to existing candidate forum guides, highlights considerations specific to forums organized by the disability community, and outlines how to engage with other candidate forums. If you organize a candidate forum for a state or local race, please keep the REV UP Campaign updated on your efforts.
• Election Accessibility Toolkit
  This Election Accessibility Toolkit is a tool to assist disability advocacy organizations and individual advocates when working with voters and election officials. It also includes information on troubleshooting problems encountered on Election Day, reporting barriers, and additional resources.
  • Report Regarding the Accessibility of 2016 Election Polling Places (PDF | Word)
    This white paper on the accessibility of 2016 election polling places includes analyses which show that people with disabilities face particular challenges in voting and voter registration. These challenges explain in large part the gap between voting by people with and without disabilities. The paper concludes with recommendations to the Federal Government and to States to improve accessibility in subsequent elections.
• All 2018 REV UP Campaign Resources
  Use this form to access all of the 2018 REV UP Campaign Resources.

National Disability Voter Registration Week

July 16-20, 2018

The REV UP Campaign coordinates National Disability Voter Registration Week (NDVRW) each year to increase the political power of people with disabilities while also engaging candidates and the media to recognize the disability community. REV UP stands for Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power!

2018 National Disability Voter Registration Week Organizing Call
May 15, 2018 | 2pm ET

This call will help prepare advocates and partners to participate in National Disability Voter Registration Week this year. Join to hear updates from the REV UP Campaign on new resources (including our 2018 NDVRW Toolkit) as well as from state REV UP Campaigns on how they have organized in the past and their plans for this year. There will also be a question and answer period.

Statement of Support for the REV UP Campaign and National Disability Voter Registration Week

We are collecting sign-ons from organizations (national, state, and local) to show their support for the REV UP Campaign and National Disability Voter Registration Week. Supporting organizations will have their name and logo listed on the REV UP website to show the vast support behind the Campaign. Sign-on here!

• List of REV UP Partners

Establish or Join the REV UP Disability Voting Coalition in your State

The purpose of REV UP State Disability Voting Coalitions is to demonstrate that the power of the disability vote has the potential to ensure that all candidates and elected officials address issues that are important to people with disabilities by increasing the political participation of people with disabilities. We have Coalitions established and developing in 21 states and are working to expand to more! We are looking for leaders who can pull together and organize advocates in their state to work together around voter registration and engagement activities and help establish a strong, diverse Coalition. The 2018 midterm elections are just over a year away – contact us if you are interested in getting involved.

• Voter Registration Deadlines – USA.gov offers a table detailing the voter registration deadlines in each state.

• Rock The Vote – Get registered, get informed, and get involved. Rock The Vote offers voter registration resources, election FAQs, and opportunities to help build the political power of young people in the United States.

• Long Distance Voter – Website where you can request an absentee ballot as well as view the deadline to register in each state.

• TurboVote – An application that makes voting easy. Sign up to keep track of your elections, local and national. You can also get registered, update your voter registration, or request an absentee ballot.

• Verify your Registration Status – Not sure if you’ve registered to vote? HeadCount offers an online tool to check your voter registration status and find your polling place.

Educate

Resources and tools for voter education.

• Rooted In Rights – Watch a video and read through an informative page on how to register, where to learn about the candidates and issues, and how to find other resources. Check it out!

• #CripTheVote – Find blogs on Voting, Disabled Youth, & #CripTheVote and Disability Advocacy and Twitter: Why Use it?. You can also join the conversation online with #CripTheVote.

• One Vote Now – Partner project of NACDD and DREDF to enhance the voting bloc of people with disabilities. Visit their site for information on voting, registration, and polling place accessibility.
• Barrier to Voting for Older Americans – Senators Bob Casey and Amy Klobuchar released a report on Barriers to Voting for Older Americans: How States are Making it Harder for Seniors to Vote and What can be Done to Make it Easier.

• Tools to Rate Website Accessibility – The Pew Charitable Trusts wrote an article about various web accessibility tools to help ensure that voters with disabilities can access your content.

• Voting Methods and Equipment By State – The types of voting equipment used in the United States vary significantly from state to state. Ballotpedia offers this state-by-state guide.

• Election Assistance Commission – The national clearinghouse of information on election administration, from voting system testing and certification to data on how Americans voted in recent federal elections.Click here to learn more about voting accessibility.
• A poll worker’s guide to assisting voters with disabilities – A resource for poll workers produced by Disability Rights Tennessee.

• Top 3 best fact checking sites – icitizen shared a blog about the top 3 best fact checking sites to help stay on top of the news and determine the truth.
• Guide for Political Campaign Staff – The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) created “Including People with Disabilities in Your Political Campaign: A Guide for Campaign Staff” to assist political campaigns with understanding the access needs, potential barriers, and interests of the disability community.

Use your Power

Resources and tools for amplifying the power of the disability vote.

• Nonprofit VOTE – Offers a Voter Engagement Resource Library containing fact sheets, checklists, toolkits, and other resources on nonpartisan voter engagement as well as Seven Tips on Getting Out the Vote and their newly updated online guide for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.
• Volunteer Opportunities – National Voter Corps helps individuals identify voter rights organizations in their state for volunteer opportunities.
• Engaging New Voters – This report from Nonprofit Vote evaluates the potential of nonprofit service providers and community-based organizations to increase voting among their younger clients and constituents, while also assessing best practices for doing so.

• Activate Social Media – The REV UP Campaign has compiled some sample social media posts that you can pair with REV UP logos and graphics.

• The Election Toolkit – The Center for Technology and Civil Life (CTCL) created a website that holds a collection of free (or cheap) tools that are built for you to use to increase civic engagement — turnout, voter registration — and to smooth operations in polling places.

• The First Step: A Basic Guide to Civic Engagement – Disability Rights Texas produced this civic engagement guide to help citizens understand how they can get involved in their community.
• They Work For Us: A Self-Advocate’s Guide to Getting Through to your Elected Officials – an advocacy toolkit from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network available in plain text and easy read versions.

• How to Set up a Meeting with Your Member of Congress – Families USA provides a step-by-step guide that outlines how to have a successful meeting with Members of Congress.

• GOTV Phone Banking Guide – The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) has prepared a guide for conducting get-out-the-vote (GOTV) phone calls.

• United Way – The United Way offers a Voter Engagement Toolkit with information on how to remain nonpartisan while engaging voters.
• 2016 Voter Experience Survey – Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) compiled a final report based on their survey of 761 voters with intellectual and developmental disabilities in 40 states about their experiences voting.

• Open Records Laws – The National Association of Counties has a State By State Report on Open Records Laws that provides information on the process of  requesting public information in every state.

• Political Campaigns and Charities – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has a guide to help nonprofit organizations determine how to legally participate in voter education and engagement activities. Watch the webinar or read the PDF Course.

AAPD Action Alerts (2018)

• Celebrate the 28th Anniversary of the ADA by Helping to Pass the ABLE Age Adjustment Act! – July 23, 2018
• Join the June 26 National Call-In Day to Protect SNAP – June 25, 2018
• Support the EMPOWER Care Act and Community Living – June 14, 2018
• Protect the School Discipline Guidance – May 29, 2018
• Tell Congress: Don’t Cut Off Our Food Assistance! – Vote possible this week – May 16, 2018
• Tell Congress: Don’t Cut Off Our Food Assistance! – May 3, 2018
• #StopTheShock and Torture of People with Disabilities – April 19, 2018
• Tell your Representative to vote NO on a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) – April 10, 2018
• Urge Congress to Pass the EMPOWER Care Act to Get People with Disabilities & Seniors Back Home – March 6, 2018
• Congress just voted – now it’s OUR TURN to vote! – February 15, 2018
• URGENT ACTION! Don’t Let Congress Chip Away at the ADA! – February 15, 2018
• The EMPOWER Care Act Gets Individuals with Disabilities & Seniors Back Home – January 30, 2018
• We Must Continue the Fight to Protect Medicaid – January 25, 2018

Previous Action Alerts

REV UP! AAPD from channelAustin on Vimeo.