The video, by the St. Petersburg League of Women Voters, is aimed at helping deaf residents cast a ballot.

PINELLAS/HILLSBOROUGH COUNTIES – In a partnership with Absolute Quality Interpreting Services, the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area has created a video that provides information to help the deaf community of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties vote.

Tampa Bay is home to the fifth largest deaf community in the U.S., with more than 300,000 deaf residents trying to cast their ballots. Many deaf voters struggle to cast their ballots. They have frustrating experiences at the polls that drive many hard of hearing people to not vote at all.

To see the video, go to youtu.be/kcxAp9zz-E0.

The Help America Vote Act of 2002 creates guidelines to help more people get to the polls. Along with providing better information to voters, this act mandates that local polls are accessible to people with disabilities. This means your local precinct should be wheelchair accessible and should have provisions to help those who are blind or deaf to vote.

Volunteers and poll workers should provide written information for anything they share verbally. This information will be posted on large signs throughout the precinct. If you have a service animal, you are allowed to bring them to the polls. Poll workers should also be trained to approach those who are deaf with respect and have the proper resources to help them vote.

If you are unsure whether or not there will be a trained interpreter to help you, reach out to the local Supervisor of Elections at VotePinellas.com or votehillsborough.org.

The League of Women Voters is also working with the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union to train local residents to be poll monitors on election day through election protection. You can find a poll monitor training near you and learn how you can support the deaf community and make it easier for them to vote next week.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan national organization whose purpose is to promote informed, active participation in government, increase understanding of public policy issues and influence public policy through education and advocacy.

To learn more, visit the league website and its voter guide at PinellasVoterGuide.com.

Photos are screen captures from League video. Video courtesy of the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area.

League of Women Voters | Deaf Voters | Elections | Voting | Tampabay News

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