Elected Officials & Candidates, Take Action Now!
Nineteen Michigan politicians have signed the pledge as of October 29, 2021!
As an elected official, your leadership matters. We urge all elected officials and candidates to sign the Power Pledge for Disabled Voters and Allies. We are eager to add your name to our public list of politicians who support this cause. Please help us do that by giving us a clear indication through one of your official communication channels. You can do either or both of the following:
Not running for office? Click here to add your name to the pledge as a citizen -- and to urge your local candidates to sign.
1. Post the pledge graphic below on your official Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts, with the caption “I just signed DDP’s Power Pledge for Disabled Voters and Allies. You can too at powerpledgevote.org.”
-
Make sure to tag @detroitdisabilitypower on Facebook and Instagram, @disabilitypower on Twitter.
-
We urge you to use Image Descriptions (IDs) when posting the pledge graphic or any other pictures in your post. When sharing on Instagram, because of its character limit, IDs are pinned and continued in the comments when necessary.
Here's a sample image description you can use for this graphic: "ID: Dark-blue and red text over a pale blue background reads, 'As an elected official, I pledge to support legislation that advances equity for disabled people, and to oppose legislation and other efforts to suppress the votes of disabled people or other members of our society.' In the bottom right corner is a blue logo for Detroit Disability Power, and at the top of the image is a headline that says 'POWER PLEDGE' in large print with 'For Disabled Voters and Allies' as a subheadline. There is also a drawing of people in wheelchairs and walking, carrying flags and holding fists in the air."
If using #HashTags, include after the image descriptions, not before.
2. Instead of #1 -- or in addition -- download, print, and sign the Power Pledge then email to us at info@detroitdisabilitypower.org. Your email must come from an official account of the electoral campaign or government office, and must include:
-
First and last name of the candidate or incumbent who has signed the pledge.
-
Office held or sought (City Clerk, Council Member, Mayor, State Representative, etc.) and jurisdiction/district served by this office (city, county, state, etc.)
-
If you are a candidate, specify the date you would take office if you win your election.
-
Attached image of signed pledge or link to signed pledge posted to the campaign's or government office's official social media account.
The Power Pledge
Institutions that fully include disabled people are fairer, more accountable, safe, and compassionate for everyone. Equitable access to voting is essential for every member of society. Disabled people, like all people systematically excluded from power, must have the ability to vote and to have our votes counted.
I pledge to support legislation that advances equity for disabled people, and to oppose legislation and other efforts to suppress the votes of disabled people or other members of our society.
Why The Power Pledge Is Essential
Systemic barriers prevent people with disabilities from voting at the same rates as our non-disabled peers.
-
In 2016, 60% of polling locations surveyed by the federal government across the country had at least one barrier to physical access or to private, independent voting for people in need of accommodations.
-
More than 20,000 polling places in the United States are inaccessible in one way or another.
If disabled people had full access to the polls, as many as two million more votes would be cast in national elections!
And many disabled voters face other barriers to voting.
-
In the United States, rates of disability are higher among Black and Indigenous people as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
-
All of these identities also overlap disproportionately with poverty and experience with incarceration. And people living under these unjust systems have reduced or no voting power due to:
-
uneven geographic distribution of polls
-
inadequate early voting
-
unfair, partisan redistricting
-
voter registration limits and purges
-
discrimination against people with mental and emotional disabilities
-
burdensome voter identification requirements and
-
other measures to suppress the vote.
-
The good news is that when electoral processes provide more options and more flexibility, turnout increases among disabled as well as non-disabled voters. Expanded hours and locations, multiple options for how to cast a ballot, and simpler systems can enable everyone to vote. To engage every citizen in our democracy, everyone must have the right to vote in ways that are convenient and accessible to them.
Power Pledge campaign organized by Detroit Disability Power
