Photo by Erin Bloodgood
Martha Chambers
Martha Chambers
In April, a Waukesha County circuit court judge ruled that voters cannot receive assistance mailing or returning their absentee ballot. “They eliminated my ability to vote,” says Martha Chambers, who is paralyzed from the neck down and relies on her caregiver to return her ballot.
Since this happened in April, Chambers has spoken out about the rights of people with disabilities and worked closely with Disability Rights Wisconsin and Law Forward to restore her freedom to vote and the freedoms of many Wisconsinites with disabilities.
Chambers is used to people making decisions that impact the disabled population without consulting them first. “Nothing about us without us,” she often says. Whether it’s policies, laws, or construction projects, she describes feeling left out of decision-making processes.
That’s why she stresses the importance of having her right to vote. “It is important for us—just like it is for everyone else—to try to put in office the people who have similar beliefs or want policies in place that support issues that are important to us—or programs that we need in our lives.”
Can’t Fold the Ballot
In 1995 at the age of 32, Chambers was thrown off a horse and landed on her head, forever paralyzing her below her neck. To get around, she now uses a special chair that she can steer with her head by pressing in different directions on the headrest. To write or use a computer, she uses sticks with mouth pieces on the end to press keys or hold a pencil.
Those mouth sticks allow her to fill out and sign her ballot on her own, but she can’t fold the ballot, put it in the envelope and place it in a mailbox. When the Waukesha ruling came out, she temporarily lost her ability to use her voice in our elections.
So, Chambers became a plaintiff in the Carey v. WEC case which argued that the voting rights of people with disabilities are protected under the national Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Voting Rights Act. Chambers, along with other voters with disabilities, told their stories of voting challenges to the court and on August 31, the court ruled that federal law protects the right of all disabled Wisconsin voters to receive assistance from a person of their choice to mail or deliver their absentee ballots.
“It makes no sense that we had to do this at all,” says Chambers. “They’re trying to make it harder for people to vote—harder for people like myself when our lives are difficult enough.”
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Chambers continues to dedicate her time to speaking at public events, sharing her story to the media, and consulting with Disability Rights Wisconsin to ensure that people like her have fair access to the ballot. She makes the point that she is using her voice for the many people who are not able to speak out and attend public events.
Most importantly, she is using her right to vote absentee for the November 8 election. Make sure to use your voice and vote this election.
If you have a disability, find the resources you need to vote at https://disabilityvote.org/2022/voter-toolkit-2022-elections/ or call the Disability Rights Wisconsin Voter Hotline at 1-844-347-8683.
