A group of disabled voters is fighting against voter discrimination happening in many states across the country.
Back in July, a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling eliminated ballot drop boxes across the state. It prevented 62-year-old disabled resident Scott Luber and other voters like him from casting an absentee ballot in local elections out of fear the use of the assistance they required would be illegal. Luber has muscular dystrophy, is unable to move, and depends on a ventilator to breathe. He and three other disabled Americans went to court arguing Wisconsin law didn’t allow disabled voters to receive third-party assistance in returning properly marked absentee ballots infringing their right to vote. They won that case with the judge ruling if defendants can’t or won’t give plaintiffs assurances that their right to vote will be protected, the court must do so.
In 2020, pandemic-driven changes like expanding vote by mail and drive-thru voting led to increased access for disabled Americans. States like California and Maryland made the changes permanent, while at least 19 others — like Texas and Georgia — passed laws rolling them back.
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Disabled Wisconsin resident Scott Luber hopes his lawsuit is a model for other states, but also a warning against new restrictions proposed in his own.
