With state primary elections underway and nationwide voting just under six months away, now is the time to check the voting rules in your state — especially when it comes to mail-in ballots and signature verification. Don’t wait until November.
No matter your preferred candidate,YOUR VOTE COUNTS! But if Parkinson’s disease, a stroke affecting your dominant hand, or any condition affecting your fine motor control for writing has changed your signature, your mail-in ballot could be rejected and returned before it is ever counted.
Laws Designed to Protect — But Do They?
Thirty-six states, including Florida, have passed signature matching laws for vote-by-mail ballots. These laws were designed to prevent voter fraud and protect the integrity of elections — a worthy goal. But here is the difficulty in reality: laws intended to protect vulnerable voters may actually be doing more to hurt than help the very people they were meant to safeguard.
When seeing a patient for the first time, or for an annual re-assessment, they are required to sign a form with four signature lines. If a patient has Parkinson’s disease, they will usually state that their handwriting is “horrible,” and rarely, if ever, do all four signatures match. Comparing signatures from year to year reveals objective evidence of a decline in fine motor skills. If a patient has lost the use of their dominant hand due to a stroke, they too may find that their signature no longer looks the way it used to.
And yet, signature verification remains the method most states rely on when validating mail-in ballots.
The Problem with Signature Verification
Election board procedures for verifying signatures vary widely, and lawsuits in several states argue this practice deprives people of their right to vote. Many states require election officials to compare a voter’s signature with existing records before issuing and counting absentee ballots. In some instances, election officials aren’t adequately trained to verify signatures and don’t give voters proper notice to fix handwriting issues.
Verifying a voter’s signature on a mailed ballot is a key part of election security — similar to signing a poll book when voting in person — however, in many jurisdictions, election officials with little or no training in signature verification are tasked with doing just that.
In a signature match system, mail-in ballots are only counted if election officials determine that the voter’s signature on their ballot “matches” the one on their absentee ballot application or voter registration form. However, election officials are not trained handwriting analysts and are often not given clear guidance for accurately verifying a match. As a result, thousands of ballots are rejected each election due to issues related to signature or penmanship — including signatures that have changed over time and disabilities that affect the ability to write.
In several states, lawsuits have been filed asserting that signature verification “is an inherently flawed means of determining whether a mail-in ballot is fraudulent or unlawfully cast, and is biased against those who have greater signature variance, including those with disabilities, those with less formal levels of education, elderly and young voters.”
It is nearly universal among individuals with Parkinson’s disease that a decline in handwriting (micrographia) is one of the first motor symptoms of the disease, and it typically deteriorates with disease progression. Handwriting can also change due to other conditions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, essential tremor, or arthritis.
If You Vote by Mail: Small Details Matter
For voters with a disability, mail-in voting may seem like the easier option — and for many, it is. But it comes with its own set of risks that are easy to overlook.
- How you sign your name matters. A signature that looks different from the one on file — even slightly — can cause your ballot to be flagged or rejected. Take care to sign as consistently as possible.
- Watch the mail. The U.S. Postal Service now postmarks letters with the date they are processed at a postal facility, not the date they are placed in a mailbox. That means your ballot could sit in a collection box for a day or more before it is officially postmarked. Factor in extra time when returning your ballot by mail — don’t wait until the last minute.
What happens if your signature is flagged? In Florida, if an elector returns a vote-by-mail ballot without a signature, or if the signature does not match the one in the registration books, the supervisor notifies the elector and allows them to complete and submit a cure affidavit — along with a copy of identification — no later than 5 p.m. on the second day after the election. The form and copy of ID can be returned by mail, email, fax, or in person.
Every state has its own procedure. In some states, if signatures do not match, the envelope is simply marked “invalid” and not counted — with no opportunity to cure. Know your state’s rules before your ballot is in the mail.
Know Your Voting Options
Mail-in voting is not your only option. Many people with disabilities prefer to vote in person, and you have every right to do so. As a voter with a disability, you have the right to use accessible voting machines at your polling place, which allow you to cast your ballot independently and privately.
If you prefer to vote by mail, accessible ballot services and electronic ballot delivery and marking systems allow a person with disabilities to receive and mark a ballot electronically from home. A voted ballot may only be returned in person or by mail.
Supervised voting is also available to any resident of an assisted living facility or nursing home. The facility’s administrator may request the service, or the Supervisor of Elections may provide it if residents have requested vote-by-mail ballots.
Your Vote Is a Fundamental Right
The ability to vote is a fundamental human right and a common source of fulfillment for adults living in a democracy. Diseases that limit social functioning and mobility can hamper participation in elections — but with the right information, those barriers can be overcome.
Don’t wait until November. Check your state’s mail-in ballot rules, signature verification procedures, and submission deadlines now, while there is still time to plan.
If you live in Florida, visit: https://disabilityrightsflorida.org/publications/publication_info/voting_brochure
If your loved one resides in a nursing home or has a language or cognitive impairment which may impact their ablity to independently complete a ballot they can choose an individual to assist them in casting their ballot. If they are unable to make such a specific request for assistance or offer instructions concerning their desired vote choice, then assistance cannot be rendered. This can have important implications for individuals with aphasia following a stroke.For additional information visit: https://www.fhca.org/focusonflorida/entry/protecting_cognitively_impaired_and_disabled_florida_residents_during_elections
To check your own state’s verification procedures for mail-in ballots, visit: https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/vopp-table-14-how-states-verify-voted-absentee.aspx
My Mission: To enlist individuals in their treatment, and help them express their personality & spirit through voice. To educate and empower. Mary Spremulli, MA, CCC-SLP * FiTOUR® Group Exercise Instructor * Certified End of Life Specialist (CEOLS) * Voice Aerobics® A Whole Body Approach to Voice Practice