海角大神

For many voters, the act of casting a ballot has become easier. There are mail-in options, drop boxes, early-voting periods.聽States have maintained that moves to prevent cheating have not limited access.聽

People with disabilities have gained too, but they still face hurdles. Many lack access to vehicles or public transportation, making it nearly impossible to vote in person. Suzanne Thornton hopes to change that.

鈥淚 kept seeing free rides ... to the polls,鈥� says Thornton, a veteran with limited mobility who lives in Decatur, Georgia. 鈥淎nd I鈥檇 call them and say, 鈥楧o you have an accessible van?鈥� And they鈥檙e like, 鈥楴o.鈥� So if you were in a wheelchair, you couldn鈥檛 get a ride.鈥�

Thornton, who goes by 鈥淶an鈥� and uses gender neutral pronouns, organized free wheelchair-accessible rides to the polls for more than 150 people during the 2020-2021 U.S. Senate special election in Georgia. They are continuing this work for the 2022 midterms.

In general elections, there鈥檚 been a persistent gap between the turnout rates of voters with and without disabilities. If this gap were closed, there would be an estimated . For Thornton and other people with disabilities, ensuring that everyone who wants to vote has access sometimes means finding creative solutions together.

鈥淚f you had to count on my energy, I don鈥檛 think we can get to 200, not even to 100,鈥� Thornton says about getting people to the polls. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just working through community. And that鈥檚 what the disability community is, working together.鈥�