Sydney Arsenault: It's been 11016 days since the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed.

Dori Tempio: And you are parked in the Access Aisle.

SA: Welcome everyone. My name is Sydney Arsenault, I'm a Master's level Social work intern with AbleSC.

DT: Hi, I'm Dori Tempio. I am the director of Community Outreach and consumer rights for Able South Carolina.

SA: Dori, I'm so excited to be here with you today because we're talking about something we both really care about, which is registering to vote, we're in the middle of an election year, so it's important that we're all registered and ready to make our voices heard on November 4th, the election day.

DT: You got it Sydney, I have been a proud voter for years, and I am so excited about the opportunity for people with disabilities to register to vote. It's extremely important for people with disabilities to get out and vote so they can have a say in the legislative decisions that affect their lives. People like you and me, people with disabilities, we elect officials from the president and senators, on down to our local towns council people and judges. It's important because we have the opportunity to either support or block improvements in disability policy with the way we cast our votes. So whether it's benefits and employment, health insurance, home care, criminal justice, equal pay, accessibility and more. When we get out and register to vote and then cast our vote, we have opportunities to participate in the community. As a person with a disability, I have been voting for years. As a disabled voter, I have been using many different methods to vote over the years, I have used in-person voting, absentee ballot, and curbside voting. With each of these methods of voting, I have used what we call reasonable accommodations, and all people with disabilities have access to those tools and supports, they need to cast their vote.

DT: So if you wanna learn more about reasonable accommodations or ask questions about support you may need to vote, please don't hesitate to ask us at Able South Carolina, and we are happy to support you in any way that we can.

SA: That's exactly right. And thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. We wanna make sure that everyone is out there fighting for the issues they care about, and one of those ways is by voting. And there are a few requirements we should keep in mind while preparing to register to vote. You need to be at least 18 years old before the next election, you need to be a United States citizen, as well as a resident of South Carolina in the county and precinct in which you are registering, you cannot be under a court order declaring you mentally incompetent, you cannot be confined in any public prison resulting from the conviction of a crime, and you can not have a conviction of a felony or offense against the election laws. Or if you do have a previous conviction, you must have served the entire sentence, including probation and parole or received a pardon for this conviction.

DT: As Sydney just mentioned, there are so many different ways you can register to vote, that include online, in-person, by mail email or fax, South Carolina offers online voter registration, you can register by mail, email or fax to vote in South Carolina, by printing a voter registration form, filling it out and mailing it to your local election office. Or if you're like me, I prefer to register to vote in person, so you can go to your local election office and register in person to vote.

SA: Yeah, even though there are so many different ways, they all pretty much ask for the same information, this includes your date of birth, your social security number, and a South Carolina driver's license number or ID card number. If you don't have a license or ID card, you can use a current utility bill, a bank statement, a paycheck or other government document that shows your name and address in the county you're trying to register. This license and ID requirement is not necessary if you are a voter with a disability, a member of the US Uniform Services or merchant marines or their families, or a US citizen residing outside the United States.

DT: Don't forget, the fastest way to register is online at scvotes.gov, you will need a South Carolina driver's license or ID card to register online. And remember, if we don't vote and we don't have an ID to vote, when we don't have an ID to vote, it can cause sometimes in-person voter impersonation and can make us feel less confident in the election process.

SA: Right. And we wanna protect our right to vote and make our voices heard. We'll be back with more information on voting logistics closer to election day, so please stay tuned. But in the meantime, if you have any questions on registering to vote, please go to scvotes.gov or contact Able and we can send you in the right direction.

DT: Thank you for listening. And make sure you get out to vote.

SA: You have been parked in the Access Aisle a production of AbleSC.