Get-Out-The-Vote
Drive Pays Off
Merrick Brings New Voters into Political Process
by Mai Thor
Anyone who remains skeptical
about the importance of voting has not met the participants (clients)
of Merrick, Inc. These are people with disabilities who understand
the importance of voting; indeed they made voter education and participation
their top priority for the recent election.
Located in Vadnais Heights, Merrick is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit company
that provides vocational and social opportunities for adults with developmental
disabilities. However, Merrick is doing much more than just helping
people find work. Merrick is dedicated to providing support for participants
from a holistic approach based on person-centered planning.
Along with the emphasis
placed on building vocational skills, Merrick also promotes emotional
growth through development of self-advocacy and leadership skills.
Colleen Timbers, Merrick’s Program Director,
explains that teaching people about voting rights is a great way to
achieve these goals. She explains that, contrary to how people with
developmental disabilities are often perceived, participants at Merrick
know that they need to vote. “They are watching the news. They
know what’s going on. They know the candidates and issues and
want to exercise their right to vote as a citizen,” Timbers
stated.
Voting is such an important right to the individuals at Merrick that
they decided to do a get-out-the-vote drive this year. In advance,
participants took part in get-out-the-vote training from the Minnesota
Disability Law Center, where they received voter registration cards,
learned the basics on who is eligible to vote, and made posters to
encourage everyone to vote.
Participants were especially excited to learn about the AutoMark voting
machine, which the Office of the Secretary of State brought out to
Merrick for several demonstrations before Election Day. This year,
206 clients of Merrick were surveyed and 63 of those voted on November
7th. Of these, 24 were new voters and 11 used the AutoMark.
The Election Day experiences
of three of these new voters reveal the range of possibilities. Loren
and Tricia voted for the first time due to the information they received
at the get-out-the-vote trainings. They both had positive experiences
at the polling place, where their caregivers provided them the support
they needed. In Loren’s
case, he had always been told he could not vote because he was
under guardianship. However, with the recent changes in the Voter Rights
Bill, Loren is now eligible to vote and he exercised that right.
Roberta and Elise both
wanted to use the AutoMark when they voted. Roberta’s AutoMark experience went smoothly; she had a positive
voting experience. However, when Elise arrived at her polling place,
she was told that the AutoMark was not working due to a malfunction.
Elise was not discouraged by this news. “I still wanted to vote,” she
said, and received the necessary assistance to mark a paper ballot.
Each of these voters demonstrated
self-advocacy by exercising their right to vote. All of them indicated
that they would encourage people with disabilities to vote because
it is their right. “They do
have the right to vote, especially if they’re under guardianship
and the court order has not revoked the right to vote,” stated
Roberta.
Voting will continue to
be a priority for Merrick. Timbers explained that even though people
may know the importance of voting and want to exercise this right,
they continue to need supports to actually vote. She stated that
many of the people from Merrick who did not vote this year were erroneously
told they couldn’t vote, either because
they are not eligible, they couldn’t read the ballot, or because
they did not have anyone to help them. Timbers stated that voter
education is important and that Merrick will continue to work with
groups such as Arc Greater Twin Cities, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits-Minnesota
Participation Project, ACT, and the Minnesota Disability Law Center
to inform others on the voting rights of people with disabilities.
Timbers said that despite
being registered to vote, many people with disabilities do not get
the opportunity to actually cast a ballot due to a lack of understanding
by their caregivers. Some of these caregivers do not understand their
clients’ desire to exercise their civic
responsibility to vote. Timbers wants to target caregivers in preparing
for the 2008 elections. In addition, she wants to continue providing
voter education to the clients at Merrick. Through trainings and conferences,
all people can learn how to express their wishes through voting and
ultimately become more involved in the political process. “If
you vote, you’re involved in choosing people that will make decisions
for you that reflect what you care about,” stated Timbers.
Learning about voting
rights is not just about candidates and polling places. It is also
about something that Merrick deeply values—encouraging
people to think for themselves and form opinions about the world around
them. Tim from Merrick is a great example of this value. Why does he
think it’s important to vote? “For change. There was a
shift in seats this election year. So, if you want changes and know
that it’s important to vote, then you should vote.”
Congratulations to Merrick for the hard work and success of their
2006 get-out-the-vote drive! ![]()
