Richard Vogel/AP

In 2020, Sharon Giovinazzo, who is blind as a complication of multiple sclerosis, wanted to vote independently—and in person. She knew that electronic voting machines in Little Rock, Arkansas, then her home, were her only option.

Giovinazzo called an Uber to take her and her guide dog to the polls. The first three canceled on her. Giovinazzo, now CEO of LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco, knew that was a possibility.

“You lose that autonomy of just being able to go where you want, when you want,” Giovinazzo said, “and do what you want.” (As an unfortunate bonus, the accessible voting machine at her polling place wasn’t working—someone had to help cast her ballot despite her efforts.)

“You lose that autonomy of just being able to go where you want, when you want,” when you’re discriminated against.

As more and more states clamp down on mail-in voting—in Texas, for instance, where it’s difficult to vote by mail, ballots can be rejected if a poll worker thinks their signature doesn’t match one on file—there a greater urgency to make it physically practical to get to voting........

© Mother Jones