The Detroit Disability Power mission is to leverage and build the organizing and political power of the disability community to ensure the full inclusion of people with disabilities in Metro Detroit.
The Detroit League knows our voting system works best when all our voices are heard. We are not only committed to working with Detroit Disability Power and others to ensure that voters with disabilities have fair and equal access to the ballot box, but also engaged to build the power and presence of the disability vote through voter registration, voter education, community engagement, and more!
People with disabilities are a large part of the population and exist in every political party and demographic. The disability vote can create a more inclusive and accessible democracy. Only 17.7 million of the over 38 million eligible voters with disabilities participated in the 2020 elections. If people with disabilities voted at the same rate as non-disabled voters, there would be about 2.0 million more voters.
When most people think about voting, they think about voting for the president of the United States. Elections for president happen every four years, and they are important! But there are elections every year, which we believe are important. For example, an election for a local school board can affect how much money schools in your area get for things like art, music, sports, even books. Elections for state representatives can affect how specific programs like Medicaid and Medicare work. Even though Medicaid and Medicare have federal funding, state officials have power.
For more information about DDP, please visit this Detroit Disability Power One-Pager.