La Semana del Derecho al Voto de las Personas con Discapacidad es un llamado a la acción anual que ocurre durante la segunda semana de septiembre. Se centra en la promoción, la celebración de la comunidad y la construcción de empoderamiento. Según los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC por sus siglas en inglés), a julio de 2024, más de 2.9 millones de adultos en Pensilvania viven con una discapacidad. Mallory Hudson, del Keystone Progress Education Fund, dice que esta semana se alienta a los residentes de Pensilvania a que se tomen el tiempo para organizar eventos educativos y de registro de votantes, organizar foros de candidatos sobre cuestiones de discapacidad e interactuar con funcionarios electos.

"Nosotros en Keystone Progress Education Fund estamos aprovechando esta semana para iniciar nuestra primera de muchas campañas de registro de votantes en centros de enfermería especializada y hogares de cuidado personal en todo el condado de Allegheny. Más de 125.000 personas viven en todos los centros de enfermería especializada y hogares de cuidado personal de Pensilvania," enfatizó además la entrevistada.

Hudson agrega que si las personas con discapacidad votaran al mismo ritmo que las que no, se podrían haber emitido 1.75 millones de votos más en las elecciones generales de 2020. Añade que este noviembre los 19 votos del Colegio Electoral de Pensilvania la hacen influyente en las carreras presidenciales. Y los votantes del estado también elegirán miembros del Congreso, senadores y representantes estatales, así como otros funcionarios a nivel estatal.

Hudson dice que mejorar la accesibilidad electoral para las personas con discapacidades es un enfoque positivo para dar forma a futuros inclusivos para los residentes de Pensilvania. También explica que muchas barreras impiden que las personas con discapacidad ejerzan su pleno derecho al voto. Los ejemplos incluyen lugares de votación inaccesibles, capacitación insuficiente para los trabajadores electorales sobre dispositivos accesibles para marcar las boletas y conceptos erróneos sobre la capacidad de los votantes discapacitados y más.

"Pensilvania no permite la votación en la acera en ningún lugar de votación, sean o no accesibles según la ADA. Si llega a su lugar de votación el día de las elecciones y aún no puede ingresar, puede ir a la oficina electoral de su condado para solicitar una boleta alternativa de emergencia. Pero entonces este problema de accesibilidad puede convertirse en un problema de transporte," aseguró también la entrevistada.

Hudson explica que para que un lugar de votación se considere accesible según el Americans with Disabilities Act (o ADA por sus siglas en inglés), debe cumplir con ciertos estándares como: estacionamiento, áreas de bajada de pasajeros, entradas, rutas interiores y exteriores, rampas, ascensores y elevadores, para personas que usan asistencia para la movilidad y personas ciegas o con baja visión. Hudson agrega que los estándares ADA son mínimos y no garantizan accesibilidad para todas las personas con discapacidades.

Members of the Texas Legislature are back in Austin for its 89th legislative session.

After newly elected lawmakers are sworn in, members will vote on a new Speaker of the House.

Cal Jillson, professor of political science at Southern Methodist University, said it appears moderate Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, has enough support from both Democrats and middle of the road Republicans to beat the more conservative Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, but Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton could try to sway the vote.

"We'll see how strongly Patrick, Abbott and Paxton weigh in behind Cook to try to get the conservative speaker that they haven't been able to get for the past decade," Jillson explained.

Republicans have the majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Jillson pointed out school vouchers, border patrol, the power grid and water issues are top priories for lawmakers.

After the 2023 session, Abbott convened several special sessions in an unsuccessful attempt to pass a school voucher program. Jillson expects funding for both private and public schools will be addressed over the next 140 days.

"I think they have enough revenue available to start a voucher program and then to go ahead and expand public school funding," Jillson observed. "The trick is in the details. "

He pointed out the proposed voucher program was scaled back from two years ago. Funding for public schools has not increased since 2019.

Border security is also a top priority for the Republican Party. Jillson stressed with President-elect Donald Trump in the White House, lawmakers will be able to pass more legislation without pushback from Washington.

"There may well be a state border patrol bill to put more Texas uniforms on the border," Jillson projected. "Certainly, there will be more attempts to give local law enforcement more power to arrest people they find in the country illegally."


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The League of Women Voters of Florida is taking a personal approach to restoring voting rights for returning citizens.

The group is sending thousands of handwritten postcards to people with felony convictions, many of whom are unaware they may already be eligible to vote. The postcard initiative is part of a broader effort to ensure people know their rights and have the legal support they need to navigate Florida's complex voting restoration process.

Cecile Scoon, copresident of the League of Women Voters of Florida, described the importance of direct outreach to returning citizens and said the postcard campaign has made a significant impact.

"I have personally looked at people's records and they were not voting for over 10 to 20 years, but they didn't know that their felony charge was dropped to a misdemeanor," Scoon outlined. "So, 'I never filed a court paper.' I just read their records and that person was voting, like, within a week -- crying, excited."

The League's efforts began with Florida's 2018 passage of Amendment 4, which restored voting rights to most people with felony convictions. However, added fines and fees requirements created barriers, and while the state introduced a process to verify voter eligibility, advocates said it remains too complex and confusing for many returning citizens.

Scoon highlighted the challenges posed by the state's requirement, emphasizing incomplete or missing records often prevent people from proving they have paid their fines and fees.

"We proved that many of the records were lost, but the government was saying, 'You have to show me that you paid it.' If someone diligently looked for their records, 20 or 30% can't find them all," Scoon explained. "So, how are you going to prove you paid something, then there's no record, or they paid, and the probation office moved and didn't keep the record?"

She noted the League is advocating for legislative reforms to simplify voter eligibility verification. Despite challenges, like returned postcards due to the transient nature of returning citizens, Scoon pointed out they have managed to reach 5,000 people with felony convictions and yielded positive results.

She added anyone who needs assistance from the League's pro bono attorneys can call 407-710-5496 or email canivote@lwvfl.org.

Arkansas lawmakers are at the Capitol today for the start of the 95th Legislative session. Over the next 88 days, legislators will discuss more than 2,000 bills that have been filed since November.

University of Arkansas Political Science Professor Andrew Dowdle said legislators will also attempt to implement bills passed during the first term of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

"Part of that is the Learns Act, where about half of all new state spending is going to private school vouchers," said Dowdle. "There was also an Arkansas Forward report to try to find savings in state government."

He said the report includes measures to slash $300 millions from the state's budget in six years, and a plan to pay state workers more competitive salaries.

One of Sanders' more controversial plans is to build a new 3,000-bed prison in Charleston, in Franklin County. Dowdle said the proposal has received pushback from residents in the area.

"Nobody seems to want a prison in their own neighborhood," said Dowdle. "You usually end up finding more support for prisons in rural areas at times where you end up having higher times of unemployment, and I don't think Charleston would really see itself in that light."

State Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, has filed a draft bill opposing the new prison.

His proposal addresses reducing overcrowding in county jails by investing in new construction, expansions, or renovations in jails with the highest prisoner backlog.


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