Disability Voting Rights Week

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

WHEREAS, on July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which codified protections against discrimination for people with disabilities, required employers to begin providing reasonable accommodations, and established accessibility requirements in public places; and

WHEREAS, there are over 61 million people with disabilities of all ages living in communities throughout the United States; and

WHEREAS, there are over 1.6 million adults with disabilities in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, there are over 38 million Americans with disabilities that are eligible voters; and

WHEREAS, the disability community has a critical interest in policies and decisions made and enacted at local, state, and national levels that impact our lives directly; and

WHEREAS, ensuring voting access to people with disabilities is essential if these policies are to meet the real needs of people with disabilities in our communities; and

WHEREAS, voting is an effective way for the disability community to influence the people and policies that impact our communities; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia supports the growing involvement of the disability community in the political process;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize September 11-15, 2023, as DISABILITY VOTING RIGHTS WEEK in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA and call this observance to the attention of our citizens.

Governor of Virginia

Proclamations