DNC Chair Tom Perez and DNC Disability Council Chair Tony Coelho released the following statement marking the beginning of National Disability Voter Registration Week:

“Over 35 million Americans with disabilities will be eligible to vote in November. And yet, millions of those voters may not be able to exercise their constitutional right. Across the country, people with disabilities still face significant barriers to the ballot box. In fact, if people with disabilities vote at the same rate as those without disabilities, 2.35 million more Americans would have cast a ballot in the 2016 election. And with this year’s pandemic, the disability community faces even greater challenges.

“Americans with disabilities make our country stronger each and every day. And they deserve a democracy that treats them with dignity. That’s why Democrats are fighting tirelessly to protect voting rights for people with disabilities by expanding access to early voting, absentee voting, and voting by mail. We need to make it easier for them to cast their ballot privately, safely, and independently. With Election Day under four months away, it’s critical that we engage Americans with disabilities in the civic process and ensure their communities are represented in our democracy.”