Voting for candidate races should be an easy process for anyone, as special accommodations have been made available to citizens with disabilities. However, I have left my polling centers with many frustrations because polling staff are not trained on how to operate these accommodations.
I am a woman with a mobility disability and I voted in the state primary on August 9th. The survey moderators assumed that my personal assistant would help me fill out my ballot. After letting the moderators know that I needed the accommodations, I was sent to the survey clerk.
I was put in front of a laptop which was in front of the voting room where I had no privacy. The poll director didn’t know how to access the computer that would allow me to vote. He had to call West Hartford IT guys to come help us.
I finally voted, but my ballot was misplaced in the printer, so I had to start the voting process all over again. An hour later, I had finally voted!
I have the RIGHT to vote. I hope polling staff are trained on how to use polling accommodations for people with disabilities!
Mary-Ann Langton lives in West Hartford.