Unequal Access? Voting and Participation of Disabled People

Session Submission Type: Virtual Full Paper Panel

Session Description

Studies have repeatedly shown that disabled people participate in elections at lower rates than non-disabled people. While the reasons are manifold they are not yet fully understood, as political science has so far paid scant attention to this group that comprises between 15 and 20% of people in our societies. The four papers in this proposed panel approach the issue of barriers to political participation for disabled voters with both theoretical and methodological pluralism. They focus on a set of key factors influencing access to politics, political engagement, and political representation. These include accommodations to facilitate voting, partisanship, and public opinion polling. The studies draw on novel and large-scale survey data from the U.S. and Europe, as well as an audit experiment. Taking an inclusive approach to disability, the panel highlights not only the experiences of people with physical, sensory, and other impairments but also mental health conditions. The papers will be presented and discussed by a group of scholars who are diverse in terms of seniority, including established professors, ECRs, and PhD students; nationality and location; gender; and lived experience of disability.

Keywords: Disability, mental health, voting, accessibility, political inequality, surveys, audit experiment

Sub Unit

• Theme Panel

Cosponsor

• Division 36: Elections and Voting Behavior

Chair

• Stefanie Reher University of Strathclyde

Individual Presentations

• Progress or Regress? Disability and Voting Accessibility in the 2020 Elections - Lisa Schur, Rutgers University-New Brunswick; Mason Ameri, Rutgers University; Meera Adya, Syracuse University; Douglas Kruse, Rutgers University

• Election Accessibility: Responses to Accommodation Requests by Disabled Voters - Mandi Eatough, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

• Partisanship and Political Participation Among People with Disabilities - April A. Johnson, Kennesaw State University; Sierra Powell, Mount San Antonio College

• Leave Me Alone: Depression, Item Response, and Political Representation - Luca Bernardi, University of Liverpool; Robert Johns, University of Essex