Coalition of Disability Groups Demand Access to New York’s Inaccessible Absentee Voting
UPDATE! Click here to read about the agreement made for June Accessible Absentee Voting Program!
Link to press release: https://acb.org/NY-inaccessible-absentee-voting-lawsuit
For Immediate Release
Lawsuit Filed May 22, 2020 in Federal Court – Full Complaint
May 22, 2020 – New York, NY – Today, a coalition of disability organizations filed a lawsuit against the New York State Board of Elections (“NYS BOE”) for excluding New Yorkers with disabilities as their Absentee Voting program expanded in response to COVID-19. The lawsuit charges the state agency with discrimination against voters who are unable to independently and privately mark a paper ballot due to print disabilities, including blindness and low vision, or physical disabilities such as paralysis, dystonia, and tremors. All New Yorkers deserve to vote safely and independently, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.
ACB of New York Urges Governor Cuomo to Avoid Wasting State’s Limited Funds on a Single Cause By Vetoing A4161
New York, NY, September 23, 2011 – The American Council of the Blind of New York strongly urged Governor Cuomo to veto A4161 today. Commonly known as the Newsline bill sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind of New York and championed by former Governor Paterson who is a member of NFB of NY, this bill gives the unusual authority to the Director of the NFB of New York to tax every single New Yorker to fund one service and one organization.
“New York state’s Blind and visually impaired people appreciate the Newsline service,” said Pratik Patel, the President of ACBNY. “We, however, cannot stand by when seeing a perverted funding mechanism that only benefits one organization or one service,” continued Mr. Patel.