Support Our Rights

Whether you need help getting access to a business or service, you’d like to help work toward bigger change, or you’d just like to learn how to speak up for yourself, CDE is the place to start.

We work at the local, state and national levels representing the interests of people with disabilities individually, and as a group. This includes the big issues, such as affordable, accessible transportation, housing and healthcare. It also includes things like blocked sidewalks and businesses. If we can’t help you, we know someone who can!

Voter's Information

Early Voting Information, including schedule and your polling place: https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/early-voting/

Find your polling location here: https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/polling-location/

Accessible Absentee Voting: https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/voters-with-disabilities/Votingfaqs/

All above information is courtesy of the Ohio Secretary of State’s website, click here for more information: https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters

Know Your rights
  • Under federal law, all polling places for federal elections must be fully accessible to older adults and voters with disabilities. Simply allowing curbside voting is not enough to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility requirements.
  • In federal elections, every polling place must have at least one voting system that allows voters with disabilities to vote privately and independently. Usually, this is a machine that can read the ballot to you (for people with vision disabilities or dyslexia), and let you vote by pushing buttons (for people with mobility disabilities).
  • Under federal law, voters with disabilities and voters who have difficulty reading or writing English have the right to receive in-person help at the polls from the person of their choice. This helper cannot be the voter’s employer, an agent of the voter’s employer, or an agent or officer of the voter’s union. The helper must respect the voter’s privacy, not looking at the voter’s ballot unless the voter asks them to do so.
  • Election officials (including poll workers) must make reasonable accommodations as needed to help you vote.
  • Election officials must provide you with help if it’s possible for them to do so.
  • A voter with a mental disability cannot be turned away from the polls because a poll worker thinks they are not ‘qualified’ to vote.

What to do

  • You can bring a family member, friend, or another person of your choice to assist you at the polls. Do not bring your employer, or an agent of your employer or union.
  • If you bring a person to assist you, let the poll workers know that when you check in. They may ask you to swear under oath that you have a disability and that you have asked that person to help you. Your helper may also be required to sign a form swearing that they did not tell you how to vote.
  • If there are long lines and you have a physical or mental health condition or disability that makes it difficult for you to stand in line, tell a poll worker.
  • Tell election officials what you need. For example, if it’s hard for you to stand, they should provide you with a chair or a place to sit while you wait. If the crowds or noise are hard for you, election officials can find a quiet place for you to wait and call you when it’s your turn to vote.
  • If you are not able to enter your polling place because the pathway to it is not fully accessible, ask poll workers for curbside assistance. Also call 1-866-OUR-VOTE to report the issue.
  • If you have difficulty using the materials provided to make your ballot selections, review, or cast your ballot, let a poll worker know and ask for the help you need. Accessibility is the law.
  • If you face any challenges in voting privately and independently or are unable to cast your vote, report the problem to the Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE. Trained attorneys can assist you and make sure that other voters do not experience the same problem.