San Mateo County Case Inspires New Bill to Protect Rights of Blind Voters

A new California law aimed at protecting the voting rights of the blind was inspired by a lawsuit against San Mateo County, according to the office of State Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco.

Assembly Bill 2252, which was authored by Ting and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, would allow voters with disabilities to vote with the same convenience that military and overseas voters have by receiving their vote by
mail ballots through email, according to Ting's office.

The California Council of the Blind filed the lawsuit in December when San Mateo County held its first all vote by mail election. The plaintiff in the case said that vote by mail systems pose an obstacle to some to vote
confidentially.

The bill would make it easier for disabled voters to vote because disabled voters can get electronic ballots that can be marked and sent in to be counted with other ballots, Ting's offices said.

"California has led the way for technology to permeate our daily lives and its time to harness this power to ensure that everyone who wants to cast a vote may do so," Ting said in a statement.

— By Bay City News Service. Image via Shutterstock.