Our Voice, Our Vote: Uniting for Change Moving the Disability Vote Forward

Throughout the voting cycle this year, Uniting for Change has been and will continue to be committed to educating and engaging all people with disabilities in Georgia about the importance of voting. We have created a series of voting workshops for self-advocates that will continue through October 2024.

The “Our Voice, Our Vote Part 1: The Foundation of Voting” workshop was held on July 9, 2024 and again on September 24, 2024 via Zoom. During this workshop self-advocates explained and discussed a variety of topics as it pertains to the disability community, including why voting is important, the different ways people can vote, how to find out if you are registered to vote, how to get the support you need to decide who you want to vote for, and how to get the support you need to vote.

The “Our Voice, Our Vote Part 2: Voting with Confidence” workshop was held on August 13, 2024 and again on October 15, 2024 via Zoom. This workshop was presented by self-advocates, with support from Dana Lloyd, Director of the Developmental Disabilities Program with the Georgia Advocacy Office and Stacey Ramirez from Rev Up Georgia. During this workshop, the presenters described and discussed all of the voting amendments, looked at sample ballots, and determined whether people are “vote ready.” 

All our Self-Advocacy Area Network meetings in September were in person and also focused on voting. We had allies and supporters present to help participants verify whether they were still registered to vote. These five workshops were held in various locations throughout Georgia. Uniting for Change was present at “The Gathering” speaking with attendees about voting and passing out giveaways made by Carmine Vara, a self-advocate in our Leadership Collective. 

Uniting for Change also made a video that will be shared with the Georgia Disability Vote Partnership and with other organizations so that people with disabilities have a better chance of getting the support they need to exercise their right to vote as Georgia citizens.