Thread by @VABVOX

Why is the PA Board of Elections asking people what their illness or disability is if they want to apply for a mail-in ballot in PA? Pennsylvanians should be able to apply for a mail-in ballot without stating their illness/disability and providing their physician's details.

I had to apply for mail-in ballots for The Wife as well as myself, because the GOP doesn't want us to vote by mail in our critical swing state. The Wife said she thought this was a HIPAA violation and said what if you don't have a doctor?

Also you can't apply online without a driver's license ID. As I say every election,we should be making voting easier for everyone, not restricting it to certain classes of people who have physical access and Internet and computer access to download and print out forms. It's 2022.

Since folks are claiming this isn't true, here's a screenshot of what the form actually says. Also, everyone be less #ableist. My wife was perfectly healthy and teaching in February. And I was paralyzed suddenly. It could happen to anyone. We all deserve to vote.
#CripTheVote

I have been writing about #votersuppression of disabled folks for years. When we tell you that we are THE most disenfranchised group of voters, listen and learn, don't jump in to say it's not true when there are a bazillion studies explaining that it is. Be an ally.
#CripTheVote

I wrote this 4yrs ago about the fight for disabled people to vote in PA. In 2020, due to the pandemic, it was briefly different. It's back to the old process now. And sick and #disabled people are being disenfranchised like I almost was.
#CripTheVote
epgn.com/2018/11/01/vot…

This piece on voter suppression of disabled people was published Friday. Telling us our lived experience is not our lived experience is not the way to be an ally OR to support voting in a crucial election year.
#CripTheVote
teenvogue.com/story/american…

The PA online ballot form requires this data or you cannot move forward on the application as it says required field. This is what I am arguing is a violation of privacy laws like HIPAA. (While folks are telling me it's not on the form I literally filled out. )

PA should have mail in, not absentee ballots for every eligible voter. Having cancer like my wife or being paralyzed like me should not make it harder to vote. In fact, it should be made easier for people who can't physically get to the polls.
#CripTheVote