Voting Advocacy Alert
The Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia (SILC) and the Centers for Independent Living across Georgia (CILs) individually and collectively join with Rev-Up Georgia in condemning the use of the Americans with Disabilities Act by the Randolph County Election Board to explain the proposed closure of 7 of the 9 polling locations in the county and thereby deny access to the right to vote to the county’s citizens. Alleging non-compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the 11th hour to justify the removal of other individuals’ rights flies in the face of the intention behind the ADA of promoting access for all. The SILC and CILs of Georgia stand firm with Rev Up Georgia in the rejection of this justification.
Rev Up Georgia’s Statement on Proposed Precinct Consolidation in Randolph County reads:
In response to efforts by the Randolph County Election Board to close 7 of the 9 polling locations in the county, Rev Up Georgia, a non-partisan network dedicated to increasing participation in the electoral process by people with disabilities, objects to reducing voting access under guise of protecting people with disabilities. County officials justified the closures by vaguely identifying Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance issues, implicitly issues of access. The ADA extends protections for Americans with disabilities, in this case, the right to access their polling place. County officials’ decision to invoke the ADA to deny other groups’ access to the fundamental right to vote is a total misuse of the ADA and all that it stands for. Rev Up Georgia rejects this justification on every level.
For more information about this current proposal, visit WJBF Channel 6’s news article
To download the full statement released by the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia (SILCGA), go to SILCGA Response to Rev Up GA PDF (Download).
More information about Rev Up Georgia can be found on their Facebook page and Twitter page.
More information about the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia (SILCGA) can be found on their website and Facebook page.
There is also more information about the roles of Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs) and Centers on Independent Living (CILs), visit our Independent Living section.