#AdvocacyMatters: A Disproportionate Impact

February 13, 2026 / #AdvocacyMatters

Free and fair access to civic engagement is at the core of disability rights. From accessible voting options to elevating voices with lived experience , the only path to equity passes through polling places and halls of power.

Alternative voting methods – like early, in-person voting and absentee voting by mail – have increased accessibility and protected participation in Ohio’s elections for decades. In recent years, despite a track record of safe elections, the Ohio legislature has tightened restrictions on voting… changing ID requirements, altering early voting calendars, and minimizing the way ballot drop boxes can be used. Throughout this process, we advocated to uphold voting access and submitted testimony demonstrating how these measures would disproportionally impact Ohioans with disabilities. As these new measures were signed into law, we worked to educate and inform about the changes and hosted webinars, participated in trainings, and created new resources to help individuals create a voting plan to successfully cast their ballot.

Now, a trio of new measures is being considered by congress to make many of these restrictions Federal law. The three bills – known as the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act,” the “Save America Act,” and the “Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act” – aim to limit vote by mail, limit those who can help voters with disabilities, and require additional and sometimes hard-to-get documents like passports or birth certificates to vote.

“Voting is foundational to our democracy, and our democracy works best when every eligible voter can participate,” the National Coalition on Accessible Voting said in an open letter to lawmakers. “There are an estimated 40.2 million eligible voters with disabilities in the U.S., representing nearly one-sixth of the total eligible voting population. Already, disabled voters face systemic barriers to participation, including inaccessible polling places, strict voter identification laws, need for and challenges in receiving assistance, and limited transportation making getting to the polls difficult. Research from the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) has found that disabled voters are three times more likely to face difficulties casting a ballot than nondisabled voters.”

NCA has created an action alert that allows you to easily contact your representatives about these proposals.

In the meantime Ohio is only a few months away from the May 5th primary, and now is the time to start planning your vote. If you need to register or update your registration, make sure you have the documents required to verify your identity. Information on voter registration can be found at www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/. As always, when Election Day comes around DRO’s Voter Hotline will be ready to answer your questions or help with any issues that come up. While these changes might add steps to your civic participation, we will continue to work to help anyone who wants to vote make sure their ballot is counted.

#AdvocacyMatters