By Chris Kuell

It would bring me no greater joy than to report that legislation has passed in the Connecticut General Assembly establishing electronic voting machines in every town, mandating that at least one of those machines is equipped with speech synthesis, rendering it accessible to blind and other disabled voters; unfortunately, I can't. With the General Assembly and the Governor's office deadlocked over the state's greater than two billion dollar budget deficit (for 2002/2003) there may be little time for debate over voting reform. Add to the equation Governor Rowland's obvious disdain for the disabled and one is not left feeling optimistic. However, the struggle for accessibility marches on.

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz will again propose legislation in the 2003 General Assembly, which will allow her office to conduct a demonstration of electronic voting machines. The language will be the same as the 2002 proposed bill, except that it allows for a test in the 2003 municipal elections. Last year's bill passed the State Senate, but got hung-up and did not receive a vote in the State House before the adjournment of the regular legislative session. With the passage of the federal "Help America Vote Act of 2002", there is now federal money that will reimburse states up to eighty percent of the costs of using the newer technology. In order for states to receive the federal money, at least one voting machine at each site must be accessible to blind and other disabled voters. We can all thank Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd for this clause.

Currently, the legislation proposed by Secretary Bysiewicz does not have such a clause, but the National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut has been in contact with her office and she assures us of her full support. At a press conference/demonstration last spring there were three accessible systems on display, all of which worked well for anyone using them.

One plus for this year's Voting Demonstration Bill is that it will cost the state no money. The Secretary of the State's office informed us that vendors of the electronic voting machines agreed to let the state elections committee use them for free in hopes of obtaining future contracts. This eliminates one of the major hurdles for passage of the bill.

When this year's bill is officially assigned a number, plans for a letter writing campaign and testifying at public hearings will begin. The blind citizens of this state have had to rely on sighted assistance for far too long when casting their votes. We will need everyone's help in contacting our legislators and letting them know we won't give up the struggle until accessible voting machines in our state are a reality.

For more information, E-mail us at: info@nfbct.org