09/10/2025
We hope you voted yesterday, Missoula. And we hope you didn't encounter any barriers to doing so.
As part of our ongoing coverage of Disability Voting Rights Week, here are additional obstacles that Montanans with disabilities may face at the polls.
• Laws restricting who can assist voters: Several states have put laws in place that restrict who can help people fill out and return their ballots. Some of these laws even include felony charges. People with disabilities should be able to choose the person they trust to assist them.
• Voter disenfranchisement laws: There are several states that take away the right to vote from people who are under guardianship. While many states do allow people who have guardians to vote, there can sometimes be extra steps required that are not required of other voters. Furthermore, prejudice and misinformation can prevent people with guardians from exercising their rights.
• Bias, incorrect and harmful prejudice: Many disabled people have experienced ableism around whether or not they can or should vote. This harmful prejudice can prevent people from accessing their right to vote. It can come from family, friends, support staff, poll workers, or even strangers.
• Lack of accessible transportation, long lines: People with disabilities often do not have reliable access to accessible transportation, which makes getting to the polling place difficult. Additionally, waiting in long lines is not possible for many people with disabilities. While some states do allow people with disabilities to move to the front of the line, this is often not widely known or practiced.
• Limiting drop boxes and strict rules around absentee ballots: Complicated rules about how you fill out your absentee ballot and ballot envelope and rules limiting the availability and accessibility of drop boxes can impact disabled voters.
Have you encountered any of these barriers? If so, report them to a poll volunteer or elections official, and let us know as well.
