Voting workshop to teach Arizona voters with disabilities how to cast ballots

PHOENIX — A nonprofit will cohost a workshop called “Spark the Spectrum” to promote civic engagement among Arizona voters with disabilities on Monday afternoon.

First Place Arizona, which supports people with autism and intellectual disabilities, will teach people about accommodations at the voting booth.

Denise Resnik, the president and CEO of First Place Arizona, said concerns about accessibility prevent many disabled people from voting. As such, she wants this event to empower people to feel comfortable casting ballots.

“This comes a critical time when you think about 110,000 children with autism transitioning to adulthood this decade,” Resnik told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News. “We want to make sure that these young voters … know that they have the right to vote.”

How will Spark the Spectrum help Arizona voters with disabilities?

The interactive learning event is cohosted by the Foundation for Blind Children (FBC). It will give disabled voters practice casting ballots ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5.

The 4-5 p.m. event will take place at FBC’s campus at 1234 E. Northern Ave. in Phoenix.

Officials with Maricopa County Elections will lead the workshop. They want to empower disabled voters in Arizona ahead of the Oct. 7 deadline to register to vote in Arizona’s 2024 general election.

Several featured speakers as well as a panel discussion will teach guests what an inclusive democracy looks like. There will also be a panel discussion including Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.

Fontes said this event will be a valuable opportunity to make an underserved community feel heard at the voting booth.

“Events like Spark the Spectrum empower all voters, particularly those within the autism and disability communities, by making voting more accessible and understandable,” Fontes said in a press release. “This aligns perfectly with our commitment to education as a fundamental element of democracy.”

Recent ruling in Arizona impacted disabled voters

This event comes a few months after a court case called Wood v. Coconino expanded the rights of voters with disabilities in Arizona.

“The biggest challenges of voting are knowing your rights,” Resnik said. “That’s changed here in our state.”

In fact, the tide changed when the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled in May 2024 that people under guardianship shouldn’t automatically lose their voting rights.

“That’s what we’re going to talk about today, recognizing that guardianship does not take away, automatically, a person’s right to vote,” Resnick said Monday. “If the citizen understands that by voting … he or she is choosing a particular candidate for particular office or making a particular ballot decision, then that citizen has the capacity to vote.”

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