Join @whenweallvote, the American Association of People with Disabilities’ REV UP Voting Campaign, and The Whole Person to ask questions about the upcoming midterm elections, how you can register to vote, and all you need to know about Election Day.

September 12-16, 2022 is Disability Voting Rights Week, a time for advocates and communities to build the power of the disability vote through voter registration, voter education, community engagement, and more! The disability community is one of the largest voting blocs in the country, with over 38 million eligible voters with disabilities in 2020.  The community also faces access barriers at the ballot box: only 17.7 million voters of the 38 million eligible voted in 2020. This September 16th, get your questions answered about the intersection of voting and the disability community and how to make voting more accessible to disabled folks. 

What are you waiting for, Tumblr? Ask them a question, and head over here to see their answers. 🗳️Don’t forget to get registered to vote (HERE)🗳️!

MEET THE PANEL

Priestley M. Johnson (She/Her), Director of Strategic Community Partnerships, When We All Vote

Priestley M. Johnson the Director of Strategic Community Partnerships and is responsible for When We All Vote’s partnership program that delivers voter registration tools and resources to hundreds of partners across the nation. Ms. Johnson is a passionate advocate and avid relationship builder dedicated to using her skill set of strategic partnerships, project management, business development, and event planning. With previous experience in the Obama White House and the International Women’s Forum, Priestley is passionate about advocating for more resources for those in need and building capacity through fundraising. A proud Howard alumna, Johnson is committed to moving the needle. 

Lilian Aluri (She/Her), REV UP Voting Campaign Coordinator

Lilian Aluri started off interning at AAPD in the summer of 2020, as a NYU VOTE 2020 Fellow, getting out the disability vote in the 2020 elections. Lilian then began a contract with AAPD and has since been working together with the REV UP team to continue to build the power of the disability vote, research voting accessibility issues, and also support AAPD’s broader advocacy. In her current role as the REV UP Voting Campaign Coordinator, Lilian supports the national REV UP network, facilitating trainings and webinars, convening the advisory committee, organizing national voting initiatives and collaborating with REV UP organizers to advance the power of the disability vote. Lilian also manages AAPD’s blog and a weekly email digest highlighting disability in the news.

As the older sister of a young man with Down syndrome and as someone with some mental health disabilities, Lilian values her role at AAPD as a chance to help create a more inclusive and just society in which all people with disabilities can thrive.

Kendra A. Burgess (She/Her), Public Policy Coordinator, The Whole Person  

Kendra A. Burgess joined The Whole Person in 2019 as Public Policy Coordinator, where she currently advocates for issues impacting people with disabilities at the city, state, and federal levels of government in Kansas and Missouri. 

Prior to this role, Kendra served as a congressional staffer for the Honorable U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill for several years, where she handled a portfolio of federal issues, including labor, healthcare, and housing. Additionally, she lends her voice to elevate issues impacting people with disabilities by writing opinion articles for regional news outlets, educating the public through press interviews, and collaborating with community partners to offer Diversity Equity and Inclusion Programming. Learning to thrive through her own invisibly disabilities, Kendra is a volunteer women’s health advocate by serving as the Kansas/Missouri Representative for the Worldwide EndoMarch, an organization seeking to advocate for those living with Endometriosis.

“Before you head to the polls watch this. 🗳

@iamlegallyhype understood the assignment that a lot of us are missing the assignment when it comes to voting. Head to the link in my bio to enter Patreon for this in depth talk about voting, codified laws, changing the two-party system and what our president’s job actually is. 💡”

Source: Lynae Vanee

TUMBLR: visit weall.vote/tumblr to register to vote now.

🗳️ REGISTER TO VOTE HERE 🗳️

It’s National Voter Registration Day! 

Election season may not be the happiest season of all, but it doesn’t have to be the most dreadful, either. You can—and deserve—to have a little hope.

What does hope look like?

Hope looks like a vote. If you’re eligible to vote, it specifically looks like your vote. We teamed up with @whenweallvote to make it easy. For some, the deadline to register is fast approaching. Make sure to check with your state for any recent changes to election deadlines.

If you’re on web, you can click into that beautiful unit and fill out the form. If you’re using the app on a mobile device, just tap through to be brought directly to the form on When We All Vote’s website. 

Once you’re done registering (or reregistering, if you moved!), the only thing you have to worry about is your actual vote. Scary, right? NO! It’s not! It’s so easy. We made a convenient voting checklist for you to keep on hand to remain calm, cool, and collected throughout the whole process. 

You got this, Tumblr.