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Tuesday, November 6th is Election Day!
Besides the presidential election, 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested as well as all 435 of the House of Representatives. This election is very important to individuals with disabilities and their families. As AUCD Executive Director George Jesien stated prior to the National Forum on Disability Issues, "People with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by the major campaign issues in this election. The fiscal uncertainty of our nation, proposals to reform entitlement programs, the battle over health care reform and access challenges to meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities -all directly impact the lives of people with disabilities." That is why AUCD supported and helped to bring disability issues into the campaign discussion through the National Forum. This special edition of Legislative News In Brief provides links to the Forum transcript and other resources for people with disabilities and families to use to help make their decision and get out to vote on November 6th.
Presidential Forum Transcript: Find out what the candidates are saying about healthcare, Medicaid, and employment directly from the National Forum on Disability Issues transcript and video at www.NFDI.org.
Party Platforms: The Arc of the U.S. recently published a report comparing the 2012 Presidential Party Platforms on disability-related issues. The issues are broken down into two categories: "Disability Mentions" and "Entitlements."
Health Care: Quality accessible and affordable healthcare is extremely important to people with disabilities. This toolkit developed by the Alliance for Health Reform compares the candidates' positions: "The Presidential Health Care Plans: What You Need to Know."
Voter Assistance
Voting Rights Guide: The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law released a Voting Rights Guide for the election: VOTE 2012 - It's Your Right includes a table outlining each state's laws related to voting rights of persons with developmental disabilities.
Please inform your networks and colleagues that voter assistance will be available on Election Day. If any voter that encounters a problem or has any general voting questions or concerns, they are encouraged to call the Election Protection Hotline: 1-866-OUR VOTE (1-866-687-8683). Click here for more information on Election Day Voter Assistance.
Disability Vote Counts
In a recent poll of 1,000 expected voters nationwide, 51 percent said that they have a family member or close friend with a disability. And many indicated that connection could impact their decision in the upcoming presidential election. Some 41 percent of those surveyed said they'd be more inclined to support a candidate who pledges to make policies and programs helping those with disabilities a national priority. Read more.
AUCD's Post-Election Analysis Panel
A month after the election, on December 5, AUCD's Annual Meeting will feature a post-election analysis panel - "What are the Results and How Might it Impact People with Disabilities?"
Nathan Gonzalez, political writer the Rothenberg Political Report, a non-partisan political publication covering presidential and congressional politics will analyze the results of the election followed by a discussion about what the election outcome means specifically for programs that are important to the AUCD network and the disability community. Registration is open until November 16th!
Hill Visits Post Election
There will also be an opportunity to attend hill visits immediately following the closing plenary on Wednesday, December 5th. The main purpose of the Hill visits is to initiate or to maintain relationships with your Members of Congress so that they understand why it is important to continue funding AUCD network programs.
- Please plan ahead for the Hill visits - visit AUCD's Conference Agenda for tips on how to schedule and prepare for these meetings.
- For additional tips about meeting your Members of Congress, see AUCD's Action Center and scroll to "Capitol Hill Basics" or feel free to email Kim Musheno with questions.
For definitions of terms used in In Brief, please see AUCD's Glossary of Legislative Terms.
For copies of this and previous issues of Legislative News In Brief please visit the Public Policy Page of the AUCD website: http://www.aucd.org/template/page.cfm?id=164
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