National Federation of the Blind Applauds Affirmation of Ruling on Access to Absentee Ballots

Baltimore, Maryland (February 9, 2016): The National Federation of the Blind, the nation’s leading advocate for equal access to voting by the blind, today applauded a ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Judicial Circuit. The ruling in National Federation of the Blind et al. vs. Linda H. Lamone et al. upheld a lower court ruling requiring the state of Maryland to make an accessible online ballot-marking tool available to blind voters who wished to vote by absentee ballot.

Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “The right to vote is a fundamental one, and equal access to this right cannot and must not be denied to blind Americans. Today’s ruling affirms that blind voters must have equal access to all methods of voting that are generally available to other voters, and that equal access means the ability to mark and cast our ballots privately and independently, without being forced to rely on assistance from others. This historic ruling protects the rights of the blind voters of Maryland, and sets the stage for full and equal access to voting by blind people across the nation.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
cdanielsen@nfb.org