Make Absentee Voting More Accessible

Nov. 5 is ten days away, as I am writing this, and my absentee ballot is nowhere to be seen.

As a Loyola student from Ohio who became freshly eligible to vote in 2023 — although having voted in local elections — the national voting process is entirely new to me. October has been peppered with five-minute phone calls to my dad, checking and double-checking the actions I need to be taking to ensure my ballot arrives safely and on time.

This isn’t the first time I’ve voted by mail — and this isn’t the first time I’ve had difficulties obtaining my ballot. 

In March, I submitted my application for an absentee ballot a few weeks before the March 19 presidential primary. As the date crept up, I constantly refreshed Outlook, waiting for a notification from the mailroom.

When the envelope arrived, instead of finding my ballot, I found a letter on a green piece of paper informing me my application arrived too late, barring me from voting in Ohio’s primary election.

Last weekend, I picked up my absentee ballot and that same green piece of paper peeked out of the envelope’s window.

I forgot to sign my application, meaning I had to re-do the process entirely. In a panic, I refilled the application and ran it to the mailbox that very evening.

Now, one week later, I haven’t been notified if my application has been accepted.

Still in the dark, I continue refreshing Ohio’s ballot tracking website, hoping I won’t have to fly home next week just to cast my vote.

While this may seem like a trivial issue, a less-motivated voter might give up at the first sign of resistance, losing their voice in this critical election.

Mail -in voting has changed since the 2020 election with eight states adding voter ID laws affecting mail-in ballots, according to NBC News. 

Voter ID laws are another example of voter suppression, disproportionately affecting Black, Native and elderly voters while silencing the thousands of marginalized voices that don’t have state issued IDs due to homelessness or financial difficulties, according to the League of Women Voters.

Absentee voters across the country faced similar challenges. In 2023, states like New Mexico, North Carolina and South Dakota enacted voting laws restricting the accessibility of mail-in ballots by shortening the application deadline, making it harder to get a replacement ballot and banning ballot drop boxes, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Other challenges involve the vagueness and misleading information on Secretary of State websites. For example, the Ohio Secretary of State website makes it difficult for absentee voters to be aware of critical dates and details, despite advertising itself as the official source for Ohioans seeking voting information.

The website states the last day to request an absentee ballot is seven days before the election, but doesn’t explain the request must be received by the local board of elections by this time until further down the website’s page, leaving voters to believe they can mail their ballot up to a week before election day.

The relentless hoops to jump through and vague information on Secretary of State websites — albeit unintentionally —  contribute to voter suppression. Websites, especially government-run ones, should have clear directions on how to vote by mail, an uncomplicated timeline with important dates and easily-trackable ballots to give voters peace of mind.

Absentee voting can be incredibly stressful and frustrating for the average voter, but especially for those with physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Absentee voters with disabilities don’t have access to absentee ballot applications in 43 states, as they are often required to “give up their right to an independent and private vote by asking for help filling out their ballot,” according to TIME Magazine, or not vote at all.

The Ohio General Assembly even proposed restrictions in House Bill 458 in April 2023 that would make it even more difficult for voters with disabilities to cast an absentee ballot by forbidding anyone aside from immediate family to assist with casting an absentee vote.

States like Delaware and Indiana allow voters with disabilities to request and return mail-in ballots electronically, improving accessibility for voters that have restricted motor movement or visual impairments, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. 

While this benefits voters with physical disabilities, voters with intellectual and developmental disabilities still struggle with receiving adequate assistance in both in-person and absentee voting.
Absentee voters made up 46% of voters in the 2020 election, 52% of which were voters with disabilities, according to Pew Research Center. The absentee vote is crucial in every election, and in order to increase voter turnout and ensure each citizen has a voice, it’s imperative that absentee ballots be made more accessible for all.