Disabled Enjoy Right To Vote

When Mike Lukaszewski takes his disabled children's identification information to the Florida Department of the State and registers them to vote, the fact that they have the mental capacity of 8-month-old babies will not matter.

Lukaszewski's children, Scott, 41, and Jill, 38, both suffer from severe Cerebral Palsy, and although they need daily diaper changes, they will vote because they have the right to, according to their father and the state of Florida.

"They will register and they will vote, because they can," said Lukaszewski, who admits that he will request absentee ballots, so that he can fill them out. "I'm their guardian. I have to deal with their issues. I want to keep their best interests in mind, because nobody else will."

According to Norma Stokes, an assistant supervisor at the Highlands County Supervisor of Elections Office, the only thing that could stop Lukaszewski and other severally mentally handicapped citizens from voting is a ruling from a judge saying that the person is incompetent and doesn't have the ability to. It's something that has never happened in Highlands County to the best of her knowledge.

"We are not in a position to judge a person's ability," said Stokes. "We can't stop someone from registering and voting as long as they have the legal ability to."

Stokes said that most of the mentally handicapped and disabled voters who she's been in contact with request absentee ballots and that the ones who can show up to polling stations during elections are allowed to use touch screen stations, specially designed for the disabled.

Local Impact

Barbara Cook, director of Visions Inc., a special needs clinic that provides assistance for the disabled, said that disabled votes could play a big role in upcoming elections because of budget cuts and issues that the handicapped are scheduled to face.

On Dec. 1, many personal care services that the clinic provides will receive cuts in funding because of recent legislative budget cuts to the Agency for Persons with Disabilities.

"At that point in time, it's my estimation that many of the caregivers, guardians, as well as the disabled themselves, will see the impact that politics play in their services, and they could step back and say, 'Hey what can I do?'," said Cook. "They are going to figure out that voting is how they get their voice heard."

Cook said she openly tries to let her patients know that they have the right to vote.

"I try to promote voter registration," said Cook. "We've had representatives from both political parties come in and discuss issues with our patients. We also try to teach them the basics, like how to fill out a ballot."

Cook said that there are a number of her patients who have the mental capacity and abilities to discuss politics.

"I have not been confronted by a situation yet where someone's ability to vote has been brought up legally. I have had people tell me that because they are disabled they should not have the right to," said Cook. "The bottom line is it's up to the person."

"In (Mike's) situation, his children have the right to register to vote just like anyone else does," said Cook. "That's Mike's call. As a provider, I'm trying to let my patients know that they need to speak up and be heard."

At The State Level

Florida Democratic Party Communications Director Mark Bubriski said that his party actively tries to promote disabled voting rights.

"We have a disability caucus that is very active in promoting the rights of the disabled," said Bubriski. "We try to make sure that everyone has equal access to voting opportunities."
Bubriski said that to his knowledge, issues involving the voting rights of the severely disabled, like Lukaszewski's children, have not come up.

"I've never really had an issue or been questioned about a situation like (Lukaszewski's)," said Bubriski. "I don't think it's something we would have an issue with or get involved in. We are more concerned about getting the handicapped to the polls than we are about investigating or reviewing their (voter) rights."

Several phone calls placed to the Florida Republican Party went unreturned Friday.