FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 27, 2016
CONTACT:
Molly Broadway
Voting Rights Training Specialist
512-407-2725, mbroadway@DRTx.org
Edie Surtees
Communications Director
512.407.2739, esurtees@DRTx.org
AUSTIN—As the nation gets closer to the next presidential election, one group of Texans wants to make sure their opinions are heard at the polls this fall and in the years to come.
REV Up Texas is a campaign of nonprofit organizations working to get more Texans with disabilities registered and voting. REV Up stands for Register, Educate, Vote, Use our Power. The REV Up campaign seeks to increase the political visibility of people with disabilities while engaging candidates and the media to recognize the disability community. The collaboration includes the Texas Disability Project, Disability Rights Texas, ADAPT of Texas, the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, and the Arc of Texas.
People with disabilities are less likely than those without disabilities to register and vote. In the last presidential election, the voter turnout for people with disabilities was 5.7 percent (3 million) less than those without disabilities. Nearly one-third of people with disabilities encountered problems voting because of their disability, compared to 8 percent of people without disabilities.
REV Up Texas wants to see those numbers change. To kickoff National Disability Voter Registration Week (July 11-25), REV Up Texas is hosting a press conference followed by Volunteer Deputy Registrar training on July 7 at Disability Rights Texas located at 2222 West Braker Lane in Austin.
Featured speakers at the press conference from 10:00 to 11:00 am include:
- Bruce Elfant, Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar
- Cinde Weatherby, President of Austin League of Women Voters (Tentative)
- Molly Broadway, LMSW, Voting Rights Training and Technical Specialist, Disability Rights Texas
- Mark Cundall, The Texas Disability Project
Bob Kafka, Organizer for ADAPT of Texas and The Texas Disability Project, will emcee the press conference.
Volunteer Deputy Registrar training will follow from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. The course certifies people to not only distribute voter registration cards but to also collect them, making it easier for more people, including those with disabilities, to register to vote.
The public and the media are invited to attend both the press conference and the training. Both events are free. RSVP is required for the training at: tinyurl.com/REVupRSVP.
# # #
Disability Rights Texas (previously named Advocacy Inc.) is the federally designated legal protection and advocacy agency (P&A) for people with disabilities in Texas. Its mission is to help people with disabilities understand and exercise their rights under the law, ensuring their full and equal participation in society.
Visit www.DRTx.org for more information.