Disability Rights Delaware Recognizes National Voter Registration Day with Call for Accessible and Inclusive Elections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:           September 16, 2025
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:     Margaretta Kroeger, mkroeger@declasi.org

WILMINGTON, DE—On National Voter Registration Day, Derechos de los discapacitados en Delaware joins communities across the country in celebrating the power of the vote and highlighting the importance of accessible voter registration for people with disabilities.

As of 2022, more than 25% of Delaware’s adult residents—or 205,381 Delawareans—were living with a disability, as were about 73 million U.S. adults nationwide. Yet, people with disabilities vote at lower rates as they continue to face barriers to registering and casting their ballots—from inaccessible forms and websites, to lack of information in plain language, to polling places that are not fully accessible.

In 2024, Disability Rights Delaware, which is the state’s federally mandated Protection & Advocacy agency for people with disabilities, assessed over 90% of Delaware’s polling places during the General Election. Their resulting report found that more than half of sites violated accessible parking laws by having spaces that were too small, too far away from accessible entrances, or located on uneven surfaces. Other prevalent accessibility issues included inadequate signage for accessible routes and entrances, obstructed and/or uneven paths to voting areas, and poll workers’ lack of familiarity with rights and accessibility options for voters with disabilities. Such barriers undermine full and equal participation in our democracy.

“Voting is a fundamental and consequential right,” says Nina Kegelman, Voting Rights Advocate at Disability Rights Delaware. “When people with disabilities are excluded or face obstacles to any part of the voting process, our communities, small and large, miss out on their perspectives and their leadership on issues affecting all of us. We want every voter with a disability to know: your vote matters, and we are here to help you exercise that right.”

National Voter Registration Day is an opportunity to remind eligible voters to register, check their voter registration status, and make a plan to vote for the upcoming election season. For voters with disabilities, preparation can be especially important—whether that means requesting an accessible ballot, securing needed accommodations at the polls, or making sure information about the ballot or their voting rights is available in plain language or alternative formats.

Disability Rights Delaware, housed within Community Legal Aid Society, Inc., has a Protection & Advocacy for Voting Access (PAVA) program that can assist with a range of services to support Delaware voters with disabilities, including:

This year, Disability Rights Delaware is encouraging people with disabilities, their families, and allies to take three steps:

“Because people with disabilities confront multiple barriers to voting, a lower percentage of people with disabilities actually vote compared to those without disabilities,” explains Marissa Band, Esq., Project Director of Disability Rights Delaware. “Our role as Delaware’s Protection & Advocacy for Voting Access program is to assist the State and Delawareans with disabilities by surveying polling places, identifying potential modifications to make specific polling places more accessible, and to otherwise ensure that people with disabilities can enjoy full, private, and independent participation in the electoral process.”

For more information on voter registration and accessible voting, visit https://www.declasi.org/disabilities-law-program/your-rights-as-a-voter/. To request materials or a presentation about disability voting rights, contact Nina Kegelman at nkegelman@declasi.org or call (302) 856-2027. To start an intake to request individual assistance with voting, contact Disability Rights Delaware at (302)-575-0660.

The Disability Rights Delaware (“DRD”) program of Community Legal Aid Society, Inc., formerly known as the Disabilities Law Program, provides free legal representation to children and adults with physical and mental disabilities to protect them from abuse and neglect and to advocate for their legal rights in the community and facilities. DRD serves as Delaware’s designated Protection and Advocacy system for people with disabilities (“P&A”). Learn more about Disability Rights Delaware here.

Founded in 1946, the mission of Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. (“CLASI”) is to combat injustice through creative and persistent civil legal advocacy on behalf of vulnerable and underserved Delawareans. CLASI provides free legal representation to people with disabilities, people age 60 or over, people with low incomes, and victims of crime and discrimination to help our clients obtain shelter, government benefits, educational services, medical services, orders of protection from abuse, legal immigration status, and other civil legal remedies. CLASI has offices in Wilmington, Dover, and Georgetown. Learn more about CLASI here.