REPOST – Original Post on Apr 17, 2014
(Mark Shaffer, the Executive Director of UCP of SLO County will be doing an intermittent blog to talk about some of the history of UCP, his history with UCP and various other aspects of his last 25 years working with people with disabilities in SLO County. Come back here to find more blogs by various UCP employees, C.I.P. Tour summaries, Leisure Club happenings and more.)
The Importance of Voting and Sending a Message Your Politicians
United Cerebral Palsy hired the marketing company, Maslansky & Partners to perform a survey to determine the voting patterns and political views of the 56.7 million Americans with disabilities. They surveyed covered 1008 individuals with disabilities and careproviders. The results of the survey indicate that a high percentage of people with disabilities are registered to vote (69%). Their voter participation is extremely high at 72%, compared to 57.5% for the general public. 61% indicated that they would be voting in the upcoming midterm elections.
The survey also indicated that 84% would vote for the candidates that support services for people with disabilities. 87% reported they would not vote for a candidate who supported cuts in funding for services supporting people with disabilities. These individuals have made this support issue their primary issue that guides their voting behavior. The results also show that the party affiliation for people with disabilities is very close to the percentages for the general public. People with disabilities do not favor one political party when they vote, but follow the national trend.
The results from the survey send a clear message to politicians. Like senior voters, voter with disabilities are very active voters who focus on the candidates position on supporting people with disabilities. If the candidate is in a close election, they are going to want to receive the votes from people with disabilities. We now need to get this message to the politicians.