#AdvocacyMatters: Our Duty

October 28, 2022 / #AdvocacyMatters

Participating in the voting process is more than just one’s civic duty. For people with disabilities, it is an opportunity to be heard, seen, and counted. For Disability Rights Ohio Operations Assistant Kyle Pigman, voter outreach and advocacy is a responsibility he takes seriously.

Recently, Kyle and DRO Legal Advocacy Director Kevin Truitt joined the Ohio DD Talks Podcast to discuss voter outreach and share information and resources on the upcoming November 8th election, for which early voting has already begun. While the 2020 pandemic may have changed the way some things are done, our commitment – like Kyle’s – hasn’t changed at all.

“Before the pandemic, we would go to sheltered workshops, different enclaves, psychiatric hospitals, you name it... we would go to talk about voting and getting people registered to vote,” Kyle shared. “I’ve been very passionate about voting… I’ve enjoyed going out to do voting outreach.”

DRO maintains a helpful Voter Resource Center at www.disabilityrightsohio.org/voting to help people plan their votes. Voting can be done by mail, early in person, or in person on Election Day, and Kevin explained how important it is to plan ahead of time: “We just recommend that people have a plan in place because you never know what’s going to happen on Election Day.”

With the election just 11 days away, it’s time to ensure your voting plan is figured out. As we do every Election Day, DRO will be operating our Voter Hotline from 6:30 am to 7:30 pm on November 8th at 614-466-7264 or 1-800-282-9181. For anyone planning to vote in person on Election Day Kyle reminds us all that as long as you arrive to our polling place prior to 7:30 p.m., you must be allowed to vote: “Even if you’re the last voter, they still have to let you vote.” Ensuring that all eligible voters have the information access to participate in the voting process in one of our core functions, and we’re glad to have someone like Kyle helping show just how much #AdvocacyMatters.

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