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The Maui News
While voting in a pandemic has been a big shift for many voters, it's even tougher for some who have struggled to cast their ballots in previous years.
Voters with disabilities have historically faced obstacles that hinder civic participation, according to the Hawaii Disability Rights Center. COVID-19 rules can make this even harder due to limited mobility, difficulty grasping or practicing preventative measures and communications. People with disabilities may also be more vulnerable to the coronavirus, though the state Office of Elections has put in safety measures, such as cleaning machines and offering personal protective equipment to staff and voters.
For the first time in state history, people with disabilities or special needs are able to request an electronic alternate format ballot to be mailed as an HTML file, the center said.
Maui County Clerk Kathy Kaohu said that voters can still request it on Election Day by contacting the Clerk's Office by phone at 270-7749 or email at county.clerk@mauicounty.us. The ballot can be printed out and returned using the ballot envelope included in the original packet mailed to voters, according to the Office of Elections.
Ballot drop boxes are available statewide, and all voters can also access same-day registration, in-person voting and ballot collection at voter service centers. Kaohu said Maui County's centers at the Velma McWayne Santos Community Center in Wailuku, the Mitchell Pauole Center in Kaunakakai and the Lanai Community Center all have staff trained to help voters with disabilities. Voters can also bring someone in to assist them. The drop boxes and centers close at 7 p.m. but will still accept ballots from voters who are in line at that time.
Anyone with a disability who encounters an accessibility problem, such as untrained workers to assist them or lack of a working electronic voting machine, can call the Hawaii Disability Rights Center to make a complaint.
For more information or to speak to an advocate about a concern, visit hawaiidisabilityrights.org or call (808) 949-2922 or toll free at (800) 882-1057.