1. What’s Your Advocacy Conference #2
Zach and Bob briefly introduce themselves
-ask how many people are registered to vote
-ask how many people voted in the 2016 election
-ask how many people plan to vote in the 2017 gubernatorial election
What’s Your Advocacy Conference #2
August 19, 2017

2. Overview of the REV UP Campaign
The REV UP Campaign aims to:
Increase the political power of the disability community
Engage candidates and the media at the local, state and national levels on disability issues
Promote the development of State REV UP Disability Voting Coalitions
REV UP stands for Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power!

3. REV UP Resources Online voter registration tools
Voter education and engagement resources
REV UP logos and graphics
REV UP Toolkits and guides
List of state resources and events
Statistics on the disability vote
Visit to access these resources
Give a quick tour of REV UP website?

5. State REV UP Disability Voting Coalitions
Purpose: influence election and policy outcomes at the local, state, and national level
Composition: CILs, P&A, DD Council, state or local elections departments, League of Women Voters, local libraries, individual advocates, etc.
Activities: Voter registration and education events, candidate questionnaires, voting machine demos, creating/collecting lists of voters with disabilities, etc.
Arkansas
New York
California
Ohio
Colorado
Pennsylvania
Georgia
South Carolina
Iowa
Tennessee
Kansas
Texas
Maryland
Virginia
Massachusetts
Washington
Missouri
New Jersey

7. REV UP PSA

8. The Disability Vote! can make a difference on issues such as:
Adequate funding and coverage for Medicaid acute and long term services and supports.
Waiting lists for home and community services
Consolidation and closure of public institutions
Integrated employment at no less than minimum wage
Accessible, affordable, integrated housing
Adequate funding for quality public and higher education
Quality Medicaid managed care with strict accountability measures
Recruitment and retention strategies for improved wages and benefits for community attendants
Quality Assistive Technology
Equity for Mental Health Services
Accessible and Useable Communication Services
To name a few…

9. People with disabilities
Family members
Friends
Advocates
Educators
Professionals
Providers
Bureaucrats
Broad definition of the disability community – also includes all these others that will vote for our interests

10. What is a multi-pronged strategy?  
A multi-prong strategy to social change uses a group or community’s coordinated advocacy effort using all the tools in an advocate’s arsenal, all the prongs on the pitchfork, to bring about real changes in people’s lives. When organizing we found, if we were stopped in one avenue, using one strategy or prong, a multi-pronged strategy allowed us to turn our focus to another prong of our campaign and continue the fight.  In addition, work in one area can often push another area to move forward.
The political prong addresses the political system, a state legislature, the U.S. Congress, county commissioners or a city council, in other words elected officials who pass or block passage of laws.  During the political process there are opportunities to meet with the politicians to talk about your issue.  These folks are elected and the whole election process gives opportunities to educate those involved.  Candidates forums, surveys and the like can tell us what the candidates think about our issues, but these are also opportunities to tell them what issues are important to our communities.
The system/administrative prong addresses bureaucracies, state agencies, city departments and other rule making bodies. Believe it or not, once a law is passed it gets “clarified” by bureaucrats who write rules (also called regulations, or regs. for short) with a lot more details about what the law means.  During this process, we can testify, write comments and in various ways let them know our position.  These folks also interpret rules and oversee the programs. If things aren’t happening the way they are supposed to, we can let the decision makers know and force them to deal with the short comings in the system.
Direct action involves using people power to do “street” theater, demonstrations, civil disobedience, anything that directly involves using the people involved in your group.
I have found that many people think that all forms of direct action are illegal, from holding a sign or having a rally to chaining yourself to a door or blocking a bus.  In reality, most kinds of direct action are completely legal; you must break a law for something to be illegal.  Sometimes breaking a law to demonstrate an immoral situation (civil disobedience) is a step you want to take, ADAPT members have done this many times and it can be very effective.  However, there are many other types of direct action to choose from if your group is not ready for civil disobedience.  Direct action can be the most fun prong on the pitchfork and often gets the quickest results. 
Media/education involves getting media (TV, radio, papers, blogs, etc.) or other general education tactics like flyering, websites, social media and other efforts to get the public up-to-speed on your issue. 
Legal refers to the courts, filing suits and the like.  I list it last because so often people turn to that strategy first and then stop; they don’t use any of the other prongs.  Yet legal efforts are often very slow.  The lawyers, judges, mediators and other players in the legal system often take the decision-making and action out of the hands of those directly involved in the issue and put control in the hands of the lawyers. This can be very disempowering. Some lawyers who take our kinds of cases are better about leaving us in control than others.  None-the-less legal can sometimes lead to great results so don’t forget or totally dismiss this last prong. 

11. Statistics
In 2016, 35.4 million people with disabilities were eligible to vote (this number increased to 62.7 million eligible voters when you also include family members in the same household)
16 million people with disabilities voted in the November 2016 elections
Voter turnout of people with disabilities was 6% lower than people without disabilities
Voter registration of people with disabilities was 2% lower than people without disabilities
If people with disabilities voted at the same rate as people without disabilities there would have been an additional 2.2 million votes cast
(Doug Kruse & Lisa Schur, Rutgers University)

12. REV UP Texas 2016 Election in Texas for Governor
Texas Disability Issues Forum attendees & statewide livestream
Co sponsored by 50 state and local organizations
Organize an ongoing Disability Voting Coalition called REV UP Texas
Developed the REV UP Toolkit with Disability Rights Texas
Worked closely with our state disability coalition and CILs
Outreach for lists of people with disabilities. Department of Motor Vehicles; Paratransit Lists;
Development of long range plan of events and activities
Fundraising
REV UP 2017 Launch Video

13. The Power of Disability Organizing
Defeat of the American Health Care Act (AHCA), Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), and Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act (ORRA)
Education bills integrating children with disabilities into public schools
Developmental Disabilities Acts
Mental Health Services and Protections
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
Americans with Disabilities Act
Money Follows the Person
Community First Choice Option

14. As a voter with a disability, you have the right to:
Vote privately and independently
Have an accessible polling place with accessible voting machines
Bring your service animal with you into your polling place
Seek assistance from workers at the polling place who have been trained to use the accessible voting machine
Bring someone to help you vote, including a friend, family member, caregiver, assisted living provider, or almost anyone else (but not your employer or union representative).

15. Voting Rights
You have the right to vote even if you have a developmental or intellectual disability.
You have the right to vote even if you live in a developmental center, group home, or other place where you receive residential care.
You may have the right to vote even if you have a guardian (depending on the terms of the guardianship).
People with disabilities have a right to reasonable accommodations that make it possible for them to vote.
(Coffield, C.N. and Spitalnik, D.M. (2016). Voting: It’s Your Right (2nd Edition).
New Brunswick, NJ: The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities.)

16. National Voter Registration Day September 26, 2017
National Voter Registration Day is an annual effort to register voters across the country
This is a great opportunity to connect with other civil organizations beyond the disability community (League of Women Voters, for example)
Sign up as a partner at to receive additional information and resources
Participate on social media with #VoterRegistrationDay

17. Upcoming Elections – New Jersey
General Election - November 7, 2017
General Election Registration Deadline - October 17, 2017
What’s on the Ballot?
Governor (four-year term)
Lieutenant Governor (four-year term)
State Senate (40 seats, four-year terms)
General Assembly (80 seats, two-year terms)
County offices, Freeholders, Municipal offices
Nonpartisan local elections, school board elections, fire district elections

18. If you run into a problem at the voting booth:
Contact Election Protection
Call OUR-VOTE ( )
Visit
Contact Disability Rights New Jersey
Visit

19. REV UP New Jersey National Disability Voter Registration Week Kickoff
Event organized on July 18 at the NJ statehouse
Featured voter registration, prominent speakers, resource tables, and more
Gubernatorial Candidate Questionnaire
Questionnaire sent to all candidates for governor
Responses received from 6 candidates (including Phil Murphy, current Democratic nominee)
Get Connected!

20. Questions?
Bob Kafka REV UP Texas | ADAPT Zach Baldwin American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)