Let’s Talk! Accessible Elections with Carisa Bohus and Cherranne
Hosted by Cherranne Verduin and Carrie Cantrell. Produced by the Let's Talk! Podcast Collective. Audio editing and transcription by Carrie Cantrell. Web Copy by Miri Newman. Webhosting by Eugene Holden.
Election Accessibility
By Miri Newman, June 2024.
Common Barriers to Voting
It is well known that access to voting is one of the great equalizers of human rights. Here in the US, that came in waves; Women’s suffrage in the 1910s, Black suffrage in the 1960s, all following decades of suppression by established powers and hard, grueling work toward progress from activists. Even when groups are not specifically targeted by laws preventing them from voting, the systems in place can act as an informal barrier. Poll taxes, the Grandfather clause, access to reading and writing and literacy education, as well as even more minute things, such as access to reliable and accurate news media about options and what is happening in the local community on a governmental scale.
Many of these have been eliminated by laws and enforced practice [1], but others are still rampant: lack of accessible ramps and booths at polling stations. Obfuscation of ballot issues and candidates’ intentions. Insisting that polling be an in-person, tightly scheduled affair. Having votes be physically recorded on a written English document. Long polling lines with nowhere to sit or rest [3]. Under-signed and understaffed locations.
All of these (paired with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that many governments still neglect or refuse to deal with[6]) cause voting as a disabled person to be an unnecessarily complicated affair. Dealing with scheduling, dealing with transportation, dealing with the physical actions of voting itself. All of these things are largely not even considered by the non-disabled community, and yet are potentially insurmountable barriers to disabled individuals who have the right to the same amount of say as everybody else.
What can we do?
Due to how voting laws work in the United States, there are some things that are fundamental to creating accessibility that are either legally dubious or strictly illegal. Since the Voting Rights Act of 1965[4], “[a]ny voter who requires assistance to vote […] may be given assistance by a person of the voter’s choice.” However, it is still common thought that one is not allowed to have anyone besides oneself in a voting booth, which is harmful both to people who need assistance and to poll volunteers who lack sufficient training and may try and prevent aides or assistants from going in to help the voter. [2]
The question is, is having a 100%, absolute, completely fair and accessible election for every single person possible? No. Voting is a huge, complicated, all-encompassing process that needs to account for hundreds of millions of people.
Disabilities are unique, and so hugely varied, so something that makes a voting area accessible for one person might make it slightly less accessible for someone else. Large, clear, colorful signs and plentiful and attentive volunteers may make it easier for a blind person or non-proficient English speaker to access the voting area, but may also make it more intimidating for someone with sensory overload disorders or agoraphobia. Additionally, resources are not infinite, with only limited time, money, and manpower to run elections. So how do we solve this? Some options:
Create pathways for privately organized voting areas.
If a disabilities advocacy organization can set up their own voting area and tailor it to the specific needs of the individuals in their community, that would be fantastically helpful and potentially create access to dozens or hundreds of individuals.
Make early and absentee voting universal.
Having elections be confined to few locations and a single day is hugely disenfranchising not only to disabled people, but millions of low-income Americans who struggle to get time off of work in order to vote. Extending voting to even the week leading up to election day would remove a huge amount of strain, not only on voters, but on polling locations workers as well.
Expand same-day voter registration.
Less than half of states (including Oregon) [5] allow for same-day registration, for either early or election day voting. If this is made universal, if someone unregistered can show up to a polling place, register to vote, and then head straight into the booth, then young, disabled, and disenfranchised people would have substantially easier access to elections.
Make all elections mail-in.
This one is exactly what it says on the tin. When we mailed out ballots to every registered voter and allowed mail-in and drop-off voting during the 2020 COVID-19 election, voting rates went up [1] overall, especially in disabled peoples. This helps chronically ill people as well as those with movement or communication impairments, and is (in my opinion) the most profoundly strong option that we already have the facilities for.
Listen to Disabled Voices
When it comes to reform, it is important not to project expectations onto a community. No one person will have all the answers, especially if they themself are not disabled nor a member of the disabled community. Meeting the needs of everybody is a collaborative effort, and talking to disabled groups, individuals, and advocates is a necessary part of any plan of action to increase fairness and accessibility in our electoral system.
Sources:
[1] Rutgers 2020 Election Fact Sheet [CLICK HERE]
[2] 23 ABC News | KERO segment [CLICK HERE]
[3] NowThis Impact, “How the Caucus System Poses Accessibility Barriers to Voters with Disabilities [CLICK HERE]
[4] Government Archives, Voting Rights Act of 1965 [CLICK HERE]
[5] RockTheVote.org, Same-Day Voter Registration [CLICK HERE]
[6] PubMed Central, via National Library of Medicine, “Lifting the Mask Mandate puts our priorities in plain sight” [CLICK HERE]
Let’s Talk! Accessible Elections with Carisa Bohus
Cherranne and Carrie interview Carisa Bohus, from the Multnomah County Elections Office, about what makes elections fair and accessible, and what can be changed to make them more so.
Hosted By: Cherranne Verduin & Carrie Cantrell
Guest Speakers: Carisa Bohus
Produced By: Let’s Talk! Podcast Collective
Released on: 6/24/2024
Transcript: Let’s Talk! With Carisa Bohus, hosted by Carrie Cantrell and Cherranne Verduin
AI Generated transcripts edited by Miri Newman for accuracy and accessibility. Conversation recorded May 2024.
Introduction to Let’s Talk
Michelle Vinjamuri: You’re listening to Let’s Talk. Let’s Talk is a digital space for students at PCC experiencing disabilities to share their perspectives, ideas, and worldviews in an inclusive and accessible environment. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Portland Community College, PCC Foundation, or our community partners. We broadcast on our home website, pcc.edu/dca, on Spotify and on XRay 91.1 FM and 107.1 FM and KBOO Community Radio 90.7 FM.
Carrie Cantrell: Hi, thanks for tuning into this episode of let’s talk I’m Carrie Cantrell, and in this episode, I’m joined by my co-host and colleague Cherranne Verduin as we interview Carisa Bohus and hi, thank you for tuning into this episode of Let’s Talk. I’m Carrie Cantrell, and in this episode, I’m joined by my co host and colleague, Cherranne Verduin, as we interview Carisa Bohus, an expert in accessible voting from the Multnomah County Elections Office, who discusses with us the importance of voter participation and the support available for disabled and vulnerable populations, as well as here in Multnomah County, she covers the details on how to register the vote by mail processes and assistance offered to ensure everyone can participate in our democracy. Carisa also shares some of her personal passions and recounts the history of voter accommodations, as well as some inspirational stories that she’s experienced throughout the breadth of her career. Listen through the whole thing to hear Carisa’s detailed presentation at the end of our episode, explaining exactly how to get in touch with accessible voting resources. So please enjoy the conversation and don’t forget to check out this episode’s webpage for additional accessible formats and resources
Beginning the Interview with Carisa
Carrie Cantrell: Thank you for joining us on the Let’s Talk Podcast Collective. My name is Carrie Cantrell. I’m one of the producers of Let’s Talk Podcast, and I’m joined by Cherranne.
Cherranne Verduin: Hi, I’m Cherranne Verduin also known as Anne Verduin. And I am the newest member of the Let’s Talk Podcast Collective, or one of the newest members, I guess. And I’m so happy to be a part of this interview, co-interviewing Carisa.
Carrie Cantrell: That’s right. Thank you for joining us here from the Multnomah County elections office. You are in charge of accessibility for the elections process here in Multnomah County. Is that correct?
Carisa’s Journey in Election Accessibility
Carisa Bohus: That’s right, and my official title is Accessibility Voter Tech. And I have always been enchanted with democracy. I believe in vigorous debate all through high school, and I watched my parents and grandparents vote. And one time in it must have been 2012. I walked into the elections office and I said, I want to work here. How do I do that? And they told me about the open recruitment that was coming up in a couple of months. So I really hit the timing well. And I applied for a job. I was on the phone bank for eight years. And about four years ago, I got the current job that I’m in. And I, and then I also did a stint at the Oregon legislature. As a committee assistant, and I found that I love non-partisan. So in my private life, of course I have an opinion, but when I’m at work, I am nonpartisan because I really support vigorous debate.
Carrie Cantrell: That’s an amazing story, how you joined your career. You have to follow your passion.
History and Benefits of Voting by Mail in Oregon
Cherranne Verduin: Can you explain the history of voting by mail in Oregon? We’re one of the few states in the whole country to do this. Why are we unique in this?
Carisa Bohus: Yeah, you know, in Oregon, it was actually put forward as a citizens initiative, and there are eight other states and I believe DC that have voting by mail. There are also a number of other states that have voting by mail in certain circumstances, like if it’s a small election or the jurisdiction is small. One of the big things is that it is cheaper that you save a lot of money by mailing and out the ballot and getting back the ballot by mail. The second one is it’s a lot more comfortable and you have more time and there’s less pressure. And then the third, so that’s convenience. So there’s convenience, it’s accessibility if you think about it. And then it’s quite a bit cheaper and, initially, there was a lot of really great organizations that also supported that citizens initiative, and one of them being the League of Women Voters, so it’s been over 20 years since Oregon has had it. And I want to say that it’s been really a strong and well written law, and through COVID, as you may have known, a lot of states had to make a bunch of different changes. We did pretty much nothing. We did our election exactly as we have always done it. And I really feel like that shows the strength and also the intelligence of our law. Great. It’s a great question. You know, why, why do we do it?
Carrie Cantrell: Yeah, thank you. And then, you know, it seems like some of the benefits are kind of obvious if you just stop and think about it for a minute. It’s cheaper. You don’t have to pay for buildings and equipment and storage for everything it takes to go into a voting place. You also don’t have to pay employees or staff to manage the election events, and it’s also kind of self-run in the way a citizen is inspired or motivated to vote. They can do it from the comfort of their own home, which, as you said, is also a nod towards accessibility of the process.
Challenges and Benefits of Voting by Mail
Carrie Cantrell: What are some of the challenges of requiring citizens to vote by mail?
Carisa Bohus: You know, it’s such an easy access. You’re going to make me think really hard to find any challenges. I would say that a lot of people miss going to the polls, and that’s what I refer to as old school. So you, due to the law, there’s a certain percentage of voting stations that must be made available in each county and so our lobby is set up with easily 30 different voting stations and you can come in, you can bring your own ballot in that you got in the mail and you can vote it here along with other people that are voting as well and turn it in. Or you can walk in and ask for a ballot and we will draw you up another ballot package before , as we check to make sure you haven’t already voted, of course. So I would say that’s one of the complaints I hear from time to time as people really liked going to their neighborhood voting places, and I did too but you just can’t beat the convenience of being able to vote at home and having that time to talk things over with friends, families and neighbors, so you can get an understanding of the different contests and I will say if you don’t mind, I’m gonna I’m gonna slide in a few things. One of the things that people worry about is if they don’t know enough about a particular topic or set of candidates and a ballot is not a test. You do not have to answer everything you can vote on one And that is a valid ballot. So when people are stressing out that they haven’t had time to research something, they can just skip that question.
Carrie Cantrell: That’s really good to know. And you know, I’m sure we’re aware of certain narratives during the pandemic during the last voting cycle that were floated. Is voting by mail as susceptible to fraud as some narratives claim?
Carisa Bohus: That was just discussed not that long ago in a clerk’s meeting. And there’s been research done. And all of those narratives are unfounded. The last study that was done from the beginning of when vote by mail happened to, 2018, there was 6 ten thousandths. Over the millions of votes. So that is very small. So that’s like six zeros and then a six. So 0.000006 the number of any votes by fraud. And of course we vigorously prosecute that.
Carrie Cantrell: Yeah, I’m sure. I’m sure. And I guess you could speculate, On who and what would try and commit fraud and voting, but we won’t even go there today. Although, I guess that might be a good concern. That might be something to concern ourselves with when it comes to voter accessibility as we move forward in our conversation. That does lead into the next question.
Eligibility and Assistance for Disabled Voters
Carrie Cantrell: How are people’s voting rights protected when it comes to vulnerable populations or disabled people, especially when you’re talking about people who don’t have the same ability or the same cognitive functions or even, if someone’s a person with no vision or no hearing how do you ensure integrity in the voting process and ensure that their rights are upheld?
Carisa Bohus: Right. So we offer assistance to any motivated voter and anyone who is allowed by law to vote can vote. I am the person behind that. And of course the whole entire office is behind that. So, you can call. Or email, you could even fax and ask for any sort of assistance. And I don’t usually go into total detail if somebody asked me for assistance, I provide it. And then, as far as the vulnerable. populations go. We really encourage any motivated voter to vote. Now, sometimes there are people who, like their family, really wants them to vote, but they don’t really care. And remember it is not compulsory to vote. In the United States. And if a person is not interested in voting, then they do not have to vote. So, I really use the motivated voter standard. If somebody wants to vote, they’re going to be able to vote in Multnomah County, again, as long as they’re legal to vote.
Carrie Cantrell: What sort of things prevents a person from legally being able to vote. Does that reach into disabled communities? Like, felons are not able to participate in federal elections. So can you clarify, yeah, what, what situation someone can vote or can’t vote, especially when it comes to a disabled population.
Carisa Bohus: Right. Well, you asked about a person who may have been incarcerated, the only person that cannot vote is if you are currently incarcerated on a felonies charge. So actually it’s, if you’re incarcerated, you’re not able to vote, but if you’re an ex felon, you can totally vote. There’s no problem with that. And then as far as somebody that’s disabled. If they can make a phone call or send an email or ask someone else to make a phone call or send an email, then we’ll definitely connect with them and assist them in registering to vote and vote. So you have to be 18 years old, you can register at 16, but you can’t vote until 18, and you have to be a US citizen. You’re required to have at least the final four of your social security number or an Oregon ID. And then furthermore, if you do not have either of those two numbers, then you can use a utility bill, a bank statement. Or something like a rental receipt that has your name and your address as you are going to register under. So those would all be acceptable, but we prefer the Oregon ID and then the final four. And then again, if you don’t have those, then a rental receipt or utility bill with your name on it, as you’re going to register and your address.
Carrie Cantrell: I see. So that kind of clears things up basically if you’re over 18 and you can fog a mirror and you have the support or the ability to reach out to your office, you can vote is what you’re trying to say.
Carisa Bohus: Like I said, I will make it so.
Carrie Cantrell: Okay. That’s great. Cherranne do you have any follow up questions to that topic?
Cherranne Verduin: Are printed ballots, the only form of ballot available to citizens. Are other formats available to people with disabilities. For example, if a person needed Braille or digital or verbal or multiple languages. Do you have those options?
Carisa Bohus: Yeah, this is a really great question because Oregon is really taking a firm stand on providing alternative languages to English. And so we have our registration form is printed in a variety of languages. The ballot itself is in English. However, with our voter assistance team, The ballot can be read aloud with the independent voting that you can do if you have access to a computer and a screen reader. The ballot can be read to you and then you can like hit your space bar to make the vote that you want to do. And the the team or the, that’s helping you will make sure that you don’t. Say, overvote. It’s called an overvote. If there’s only one place to vote then it makes sure that you’ve not marked two places. So, and so that’s both digital and verbal, in person, and by a computer. It’s really great. I’m really proud of it, and I appreciate that question.
Carrie Cantrell: I am curious, what are the deadlines to register for the primary and general elections, if you have not done so already?
Carisa Bohus: Yeah so in Oregon, you have to be registered to vote in order to vote, and as a first time Oregon voter, you need to be registered 21 days in advance. 21 days in advance. So whatever the election is, you Count off 21 days, about three weeks, and that is the number of days if you are a new person to Oregon. If you have simply moved, you can update your address at any time. The other thing that has a firm deadline is changing your party affiliation. That comes into play only during primaries, and that is every two years, and that is also 21 days in advance. Otherwise, again, if all you’re doing is updating your name, your spelling of your name, your address, all of that can be done up till five minutes until the deadline at eight o’clock at night on the election day.
Naia Holte: You’re listening to Let’s Talk, Portland Community College’s disability awareness podcast.
Third-Party Assistance and Voter Integrity
Cherranne Verduin: Can anyone be a third party assistant to the voting process? What is the accreditation system to ensure fairness and honesty?
Carisa Bohus: Yeah, that’s a really wonderful question. So there’s only two kinds of people that cannot help you. And one is your boss, or an agent of your boss, or your union boss, and or an agent of your union boss. And then beyond so by law, those is. Two categories of people are not able to help you cast a ballot. Outside of that, it’s up to the voter. If the voter accepts your help, then anybody can help the voter. And that goes for anybody, actually. If your neighbor is walking by and says, Hey, I’m headed to the ballot box. Can I take your ballot with me? It’s up to you. If you trust that person and you’re comfortable with that person, you can hand them their ballot, your ballot, and then they can go turn it in for you. If you do not feel comfortable, then you do not have to. And nobody can try to convince you that they should help you. So, if anybody tries to force help on you, call the elections office, because that is very serious to us, and everybody should have that help that they want. So, your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues, you, it’s, it’s like, whatever you’re comfortable with, and that is the person that can help you. And if you don’t have anybody in your life, say you’re a different party affiliation than everybody around you, then you call elections and we will get a team to come and help you where you want at your house, on your porch, in your yard, at a nearby park, or a cafe. I have sent teams to all those sorts of places. Thanks for that question. I think it’s really important.
Contact Information for Voter Assistance
Carrie Cantrell: Very much. And you mentioned calling the elections office. If there was an issue like that, what is the process to ask for assistance in voting? And what does the timeline look like if you need to get that assistance in advance?
Carisa Bohus: The elections phone number is (503)-988-8683 and then whoever answers the phone you can tell them what sort of assistance you need ask any question you like and if somebody is bothering you report it there and then it’s handled appropriately from that point on but you have to call us and then you can also write to us at elections@multco.us. That’s elections (with an S) at multco dot U.S. That is our email address.
Carrie Cantrell: You mentioned a phone call that someone should make if they are being harassed or pressured to participate in voting and they don’t want to.
Carrie Cantrell: Is that the phone number that someone would call to get voter assistance from you? And also —
Carisa Bohus: It’s the same. You come in on the same phone number and then you’re directed to the right person.
Carrie Cantrell: Okay, cool. So what is the contact information? Okay.
Carisa Bohus: So the phone number is (503)-988-8683. Our email address is elections@multco.us, our website is MCElections.ORG
Legal History of Voter Accommodations
Carrie Cantrell: And we will be sure and share that information with our listeners in the form of a hyperlink in our transcript, back on our home website. What is the legal history of voter accommodations in Multnomah County? And if you could cover what started this service and when, if possible, and also, have there been any hiccups or challenges to the system since it started?
Carisa Bohus: Yeah, so I think the real renaissance of voter assistance was with the HAVA, help America vote act. This is really great practice for me. So 1965 was the Voting Rights Act. 1973 is called Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and I believe that this was a basis for the ADA. In 1984 there’s the VAHEA Voting Accessibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act. And then in 1990 is the ADA, the Americans with Disability Act. And this is such an important act that really defined everything in a very easy to understand way. And it is a really brilliant piece of legislation that I turn to all the time.
Then in 1993, there’s the National Voter Registration Act. And then in 2002 was the HAVA, Help America Vote Act. So very importantly, The HAVA act provided money to states to figure out what would best help the voters in that state. And then all that independent voting access that we have, that is due to this HAVA. So that is how it was developed and it’s only gotten better. I don’t think there’s really been any hiccups. I think that it’s important that people contact their elections office. That’s always the first stop. So the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It says: “receive assistance from the person of the voter’s choice.” There’s no tests of ability. To read or write no tests of any kind. So section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is when disabled were first seen as a class. Up until then it was just people, or individuals that had certain, disabled issues and that was it. But In that [year] 1973, disabled were first seen as a class of people and were able to take up power. Then in 1984, the Voting Accessibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act, that requires accessibility to the polling place or an alternative on election day. So that made it so that you had to be able to make it into the polls Or they had to set up a voting station for you where you could get to. And then again, the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act elections falls under Title II. And then the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, that means everyone gets to register. And then finally the HAVA. Help America Vote Act of 2002, which requires at least one accessible voting spot at every polling place in any election with federal candidates. And I’ll stop the share. So there’s two slides with the exact same information, but they really give a really different view. So thanks. Thanks for letting me share that history. And that’s where it all started.
Carrie Cantrell: Yeah. Thank you for sharing that history.
Challenges and Developments in Voting Assistance
Carrie Cantrell: And then as far as the second part of the question I assume there have been lots of challenges to the system because as we all know, there was a huge struggle to get the ADA passed in 1990, and it’s been a huge struggle to get every disability rights justice piece of legislation passed as well , throughout the lifespan of the civil rights movement. So is there anything specific that comes to mind?
Carisa Bohus: I’m really only able to talk about Multnomah County. I really can’t talk about the rest of the U. S. I have done research for my own program to make sure that we are accessible. And one of the things I learned about is that assisted voting versus independent voting. And what I found was that we supported both, but we definitely did assisted voting better. And I have shored up our independent voting, especially with the new units we call the IVU’s independent voting unit. They’re located in our lobby. And they have all kinds of technology for a person to vote independently, even if they are low-sight, no-sight, are deaf or in a wheelchair, the table is adjustable and then the ballot is read to you by the machine itself, so you can vote completely independently. And that was a program that I brought on about three years ago when I realized. That we were very strong and assisted, but not so strong in the independent. Yeah, thanks for letting me clarify that.
Staff and Nonpartisan Regulations
Cherranne Verduin: Sure. Who is the staff that you work with?
Carisa Bohus: So the elections office is made up of a few different components. And I pretty much work with all the different components. So we have a phone bank during election cycles. And I try to cruise through there. a couple times a week to kind of update people and field any questions. But those are the people that you’ll probably talk to first. The next is the front counter. So if you walk through our doors, you’ll walk up to the counter and we’ll have a number of staff working there. If anybody has any special questions that require my expertise, then I come forward or we’ll talk to you. All of the front counters know about our IVU’s the independent voter units. I have them practice with each other. So they are all very well versed on how to set that up for any voter that would like to use it. And then beyond that is the people that process the ballots. So as the ballots are signature verified, sorted by precinct and opened And then tallied. Those are all separate groups. And if I have an issue that I need to discuss with any of those folks, then I just go talk to them. Thanks for that. I think I mostly work with the front counter and the phone bank. Those are the people that handle the communications with the voter. And that’s who I’m focused on. Great question.
Nonpartisan Rules and Regulations
Cherranne Verduin: What are the rules and regulations that you abide by to stay nonpartisan?
Carisa Bohus: Yeah, no, I really appreciate that question because people want to talk things over with us all the time and we’re not allowed to. So remember, elections administers the election only. We do not get involved in any content. And I’m kind of glad you brought this up because I really noticed that voters are often hungry for knowledge. And so I started a vocabulary page, because we’re not allowed to even explain a word or define a term. So I have a vocabulary page on our website that you can look up some specific terms. It’s translated into several languages. Since I started that project, the Secretary of State has also started a web page and their web page is huge and has many, many words that are also translated into several different languages. So, you have to do your own research, we are not allowed to talk about anything that has to do with the content of the election, we cannot even clarify a word, all we can do is read the ballot. So we’re not even allowed to read the pamphlet. People have to do their own research and talk to their own friends and family. And that’s such a great question because people have to respect that elections workers cannot discuss anything in the election. And I mean anything. So, I just gently remind people that I only administer the election itself. Thanks for that.
Carrie Cantrell: Thank you so much for answering that. I’m really curious if you have any critiques of our voting system as somebody who has worked on the inside and probably seen the sausage get made. What are your thoughts? Is there any way that you think that the voting system we do have in place could be improved?
Carisa Bohus: That’s a really great question. And there is a group of election clerks that suggest legislation every year that we want to have carried out. And it’s done at that level. All the election clerks in Oregon kind of have a consensus of what they want to put forward from my perspective of being the accessible voting technician in Multnomah County. I think that vote-by-mail system is absolutely the strongest system ever and it really accounts for everything and it is very sturdy. So, there are maybe some things that might modernize it, but as legislation becomes introduced, then, people can take a look at that and discuss the pros and cons from my perspective. Vote by mail is awesome. Thanks.
Naia Holte: You’re listening to Let’s Talk, Portland Community College’s disability awareness podcast.
Cherranne Verduin: What about situations where people perhaps live obviously in a physical location, but maybe prefer to get their mail at a PO box or a postal annex or a fed, a private mailbox at a different location…
Carisa Bohus: Sure.
Cherranne Verduin: Are they still going to get their ballots mail or…
Carisa Bohus: For sure. Yeah. No, I really appreciate that question because you would not believe how complex addresses are. So we need to have a residential address because that tells your precinct and that’s going to govern what ballot you get. So that’s really important. where you receive that ballot can be anywhere. And so a P. O. Box is fine. Or perhaps you spend a lot of time at your parents house. So you want to get your ballot there and vote with them. You can actually even use our address of our our elections office. So you can walk into our office, ask for your ballot because it was, it’s actually mailed here, and then you can vote in our lobby and turn it in. Also I happen to do the military and overseas ballots, and you can literally get a ballot anywhere in the world. Does that answer your question, Cheranne? I mean, there’s, so there’s a mailing address, and then there’s a residential address, and they can be used for two different purposes. And then, if there is no mailing address, then the residential address is where the ballot is mailed to. I mean, if as long as your registration is up to date, it’ll go to wherever that is. And yeah, please do call in the elections office and ask if you’re in Multnomah County, call us. And you sometimes people get their ballots at work.
Carrie Cantrell: When I was canvassing to get people registered to vote for, a couple of measures, a couple, like some years ago, I think that was like, even for people who are unhoused, like you can use a park bench as your residential address, and that will be like, wow, okay, so we ended up getting a lot of people registered to vote that year.
Carisa Bohus: Yeah, if you are houseless, you can use a cross street, a park, or a mile marker. It just has to be precise enough for us to locate your precinct, and then you can receive the ballot anywhere, or you can walk into our office for it as well.
Carrie Cantrell: Thank you. Yeah. And I’m very excited. It’s easy to feel jaded about voting sometimes , but I am being inspired by your passion right now for democracy. I am hoping to share that passion with our audience, our listeners.
Preparing to Vote
Carrie Cantrell: So can you please help us know how to prepare to vote, where to find information on candidates? How to come up with a voting plan, how can you access information that is accessible to you, and I think we’ve gone over how to reach out to the Multnomah County Elections Office sometimes, but there might be some other nuances to answer that question.
Carisa Bohus: That’s a really great question because I can only talk about it in generalities and I can’t talk about any specifics. So that’s, I really appreciate that of how to prepare to vote. But number one, is your voters pamphlet. I already mentioned that independent living can give you access to a recording somebody, somebody actually sits down and reads that whole pamphlet, and they divided up very nicely so that you can skip to the section that you want. And so you can come to our website and you can listen to that download. I always think I mean just on a personal level. I talked to family and friends and my neighbors and discuss the various issues. I think that there are a lot of radio shows going on right now. I’m sure That you guys even touch on some things that might promote the educational goals of PCC. And then all your supportive organizations it takes a while to do that research. And so I really recommend allowing that time to read your voters pamphlet, to talk to friends and family, and to reach out to various organizations. The League of Women Voters also puts out a pamphlet that is really well researched, and of course then you have your news newspapers and online resources. I will say that if you come across something that you might not think is correct, please feel free to call Elections and get the facts, and that’s of course about the administration of the election. We can’t really verify any facts about candidates or other contestants. Yeah, really take the time or limit what you’re going to vote on.
Carrie Cantrell: Thank you.
Memorable Stories from Voting Assistance
Carrie Cantrell: Carisa, I’m wondering, do you have any memorable stories or spotlights from your career that you’d like to share about enabling voters and creating more access for citizens in Multnomah County?
Carisa Bohus: I have so many stories of so many great voters. So, stop me when you’ve heard enough, but one of my favorite stories, and this just happened last year, I believe somebody was calling in for her friend who was blind that wanted to hear some discussion about a particular ballot measure. And I said, you know, we don’t really do that, but they were in an independent living residence home. And I said, why don’t you put a poster up, you know, by the elevators or by the cafeteria, that there’s going to be a discussion on this topic in the cafeteria at this time. So they had a time and a place and a date. And then to her surprise, 30 plus people showed up. Her blind friend came as well and her blind friend really didn’t want to do or say anything. She just wanted to hear discussion. And so it turned out one of the residents was a retired judge and kind of took over the meeting. And made sure that everybody who wanted to speak got to speak that people that over talk were limited, and that there was a really wonderful discussion. And so that took me, maybe four or five phone calls with the friend. To kind of discuss and set it up. And then I called to follow up because I was curious what happened. But that is one of my favorite stories is making a community where you live. So building your own community to have civic discourse. And of course, I can’t get involved in any of it, except for I can help people set that sort of thing up. I do it all the time.
Carrie Cantrell: Welcome to the democracy! It’s a party!
Carisa Bohus: Yeah. You know, you’d be surprised if people understand the rules, like it, like I said, they happened to have a retired judge in their midst and the judge knew how to make sure everybody got to talk who wanted to talk. And I guess it was a marvelous success. And my hope is that. You know, these people come together again and that in the future elections and have a safe space to have discussion and hear all the different sides and points about a particular issue or set of candidates.
Carrie Cantrell: That’s a great story.
The Importance of Voting
Cherranne Verduin: What is the most important statement that you would like to make to our audience who may be listening?
Carisa Bohus: Thank you so much for that. Here’s what I want to say. Your vote counts. And I have another story for that. So your vote is always going to count, but you don’t know when you’re going to be the deciding vote. So that’s kind of one of those. Kind of pieces of luck that yes, you need to vote every single time and your vote may be the deciding vote, but you don’t know when. So in a recent election out in Gresham for mayor, and I believe it was around 60,000 votes the two top candidates were separated by 13 or 14 votes out of 60 000. So you, there’s an automatic recount at one half of 1%. And then, and this was within the range and we recounted the votes and the votes for those two candidates did not change at all. So not only did we get to have that recount, but we also proved the system was good. And it was an automatic recount. So nobody had to pay any money except for the Multnomah County voters that support elections. And I just think that both the candidates came down to observe the process. And it turns out, and I did not know this, this was a new thing to me, but the people who perform the recount have to be from that jurisdiction. So it had to be Gresham citizens, residents that performed that recount. And out of 60,000 votes, that it remained the same. The outcome was the same. So I just think that’s the best ever. So just think like if you meant to vote and you didn’t get around to it, your vote could have like pushed it over the one half of 1 percent automatic recount. So that’s how important your vote can be in a pretty large election. So my big take away is be sure and vote. Even if you only vote on one thing that you care about, then your vote is valid and will be counted. And I so appreciate this time to talk about my passion. Thanks. Thanks for noting that I have so much passion about voting.
Carrie Cantrell: Thank you for sharing. And that is such an amazing voting incident right there. Not only that it came down to like 14 or 15 people you said out of 60,000 in a district, but that the recount came up with the exact same number. So I just love it. Like I’m getting goosebumps right now.
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Carrie Cantrell: So, yeah, I really appreciate your time coming to speak with us here. Just so you know where we’re going to be putting all this, we are planning to post this podcast episode on our website. , as well as putting hyperlinks to some of the resources that were mentioned in the conversation, in the written transcripts. And then the podcast itself, the audio is going to be on KBOO Community Radio and XRAY FM, as well as our digital podcast platforms.
Carisa Bohus: I clear everything with my supervisor.
Carrie Cantrell: Awesome. Awesome. That’s so good. Look at us being professional. Okay. Um, cool. Well, I just wanted to say thank you so much, I know we’ve been emailing back and forth for months now, actually, and I’m so happy we finally were able to schedule a time to sit down and get this interview done. It’s going to make amazing radio content and also it’s super, super valuable information that we’re really happy to support and help broadcast.
Carisa Bohus: Yeah, no, I’m really pleased and you know something just kind of as an aside. I’ve been working with the Oregon Commission for the Blind, and, for over two years I’ve really felt like we should have employees here that are low sight, no sight, and, I’m very, really proud to say we have, I believe, four or five, people that are going to be working this election that are low sight, no sight.
Carrie Cantrell: That’s awesome.
Carisa Bohus: It’s really great. And I’m super happy and we’ll see how it goes. We’re what I figure is it’s a win, win, win, you know, like we’re going to learn a lot. The elections workers are going to get paid and be part of the process. And then we’re all going to just lift our game as accommodations goes well.
Carrie Cantrell: Same for us. Cherranne just joined us, which I’m really excited but also, we’re going to be hosting a SWEP student from O.C.B. this summer. I’m really excited to start delving into entirely different editing style and strategy than what I’ve been using as a sighted person. It’s still, we’re still talking about it, yeah.
Carisa Bohus: Cool. Well, just keep me in the loop, Carrie. And if you need a clarification of anything, then I’m, you know, I’m here for you.
Carisa Bohus’s Accessible Voting Presentation
Carisa Bohus: My name’s Carisa Boush. I’m a middle-aged woman with short brownish hair wearing a black suit jacket and glasses. And I’m sporting some new hearing aids that I just got about a month ago. I’m hard of hearing and I live by closed caption and I’m getting used to my age.
Overview of the 2024 Election Process
Carisa Bohus: So I’m going to go over a few things about the election coming up and call it voting in 2024 and Pecha Kucha presentation style. So that is 20 slides and I get to spend 20 seconds per each and usually it’s shorter. Here we go. So your vote is your voice. If you are eligible to vote, you can vote, I will make it so. The 2024 presidential voting year, our primary is coming up, it’s May 21st is the deadline, and the general election is November 5th, and that is also deadline for your ballots to be turned in.You get your ballots about three weeks in advance through the mail. So, Oregon has closed primaries and this affects you. Your party affiliation must be established 21 days before the primary. 21 days before the primary. So, This happens every two years when we have a primary. Your party affiliation matters.
Assisted and Independent Voting Options
Carisa Bohus: In Multnomah County, there are two kinds of assistance for voting. There’s if assistant, assisted voting and registration, and then there’s also independent voting and registration. So can you do both? Yes, the answer is yes. So I have a number of different ways to assist people with voting or to set them up so they can vote on their own.
Naia Holte: You’re listening to Let’s Talk, Portland Community College’s disability awareness podcast.
Carisa Bohus: So the many forms of assisted voting. First of all, I’d like to say that anyone can help you vote. If you want them to so no one can influence your vote, you are always free to refuse help from anyone. And I think people forget that in the United States, voting is not compulsory. So if you don’t want to vote, you don’t have to. And if you have any question about someone helping you to vote, you can always call the elections office and I’ll give this. Contact information a few times, but it’s (503)-988-8683. So anybody that you want can help you vote. So assisted voting, we actually have teams of two people that can come to your house or a park or a cafe and read and mark your ballot. Then they review it with you. And then you can put it in the envelope or they can put it in the envelope, and then you sign your envelope. So that is part of the assisted voting experience. And then for independent voting, you use the internet. So I have a list of things that you need, but basically you need an internet connection, a screen reader, a computer, a printer and Oregon I.D. So you can register to vote independently and you can actually vote independently as well. You still need that envelope. So make a plan to vote. We also have large print registration forms and ballots. We can mail them to you and then Independent living resources can provide a recording of the voters pamphlet. This must be requested well in advance, and we just have you contact them directly. Independent living resources in Multnomah County is (503)-232-7411 or info@ilr.com. And if you make that request, then you actually get media that you can play and review. We also have it downloaded on our website so you could come to the Multnomah County website, and you can find that same recording. So, at our office we have IVU’s there. Independent voter units. So you can walk into the office and go old school and vote at a polling place. There, anybody can use them. You do not need to be disabled, but there are headphones and controls to make the speech slow, fast, loud, soft. There’s a touch screen for voting and navigation, and then there’s a handheld braille controller. For navigating and voting as well. Come in and check it out. So this is a picture of it and I also have a schematic. It’s just a touchscreen with a printer, and the headphones are shown and also the handheld controller, and then this is with everything labeled. I named it the IVU, Independent Voter Unit. I didn’t realize that I actually named it, but I did.
Ensuring Your Ballot is Valid
Carisa Bohus: So, what makes a ballot valid? People ask us all the time, will my ballot be counted? And It’s your signature, and it’s your envelope that envelope is crucial and your signature needs to be somewhat close in to your registration signature. If you’re concerned about your voters mark. That’s the technical term, voters mark, then we can talk about it and we have other solutions. So, in general, the registration form fixes darn near everything. If you have a name change, a name misspelling, a change of address, change of party affiliation, or a challenge signature, the registration form will fix it. And by the way, In Multnomah County, we have a special deal with all post offices and libraries. They will have a stack of registration cards. You do not have to wait in line. You should be able to see it on some shelf and just go grab one and fill it out and mail it in.
Voting Units and Planning Ahead
Carisa Bohus: So we also have mobile units. We have these really great laptops and battery operated printers. We can come to your house. And we can print out a ballot to mark. Again, you have to have your own envelope or we have to make arrangements ahead of time to make sure we have that special envelope that has your name on it. So, do it in advance. Don’t wait. Plan your voting now. Make sure that your address is updated. Make sure you’re comfortable with your signature. Decide if you want help and who you will ask and then one of the things that election cannot do is we cannot discuss any of the content of the ballot we administer the voting only. And so you have to actually discuss things with other people, and we’ll talk about that later.
Conclusion of Presentation and Contact Information
Carisa Bohus: So, call me if you need help, call me. My name’s Carisa and the elections phone number is (503) 988-8683. Ask for me if you need any special assistance. Anybody who answers the phone can answer any general questions. And let’s see. I think I have one more. Oh, thank you. And I love critical feedback. Tell me how I can improve. My presentation, I will be so appreciative.
Carrie Cantrell: Thank you, Carisa. That was really great. That was an awesome presentation.
End of Episode Closing Statements
Carrie Cantrell: And that’s the end of our episode. Thank you so much for listening. With the upcoming 2024 elections, how well members of our community ensure that their voice is heard. Thanks to the efforts of the voter assistance team at Multnomah county elections office and historical legislation that made accessible voting options possible. Voters have access to many tools and resources, like large print forms. Braille text to speech, utilizing voter assistance teams or going into the Multnomah county elections office and using one of the independent voting units. Thanks again for tuning in. We hope you found this conversation to be informative and helpful this election season. Let’s talk some more next time. Today’s episode was made possible thanks to the hard work of Eugene Holden, our webmaster, myself, and Cherranne Verduin who produced and hosted this episode. Our production assistant Miri Newman, who composed the tracks you heard in the introduction and the rest of the team responsible for alt formatting, the transcriptions., thank you let’s talk podcast, collective and accessible education, disability resources at Portland community college and our partnership with the multimedia department and everywhere else this is broadcasted. Thanks for tuning in. See you next time.
Miri Newman: And finally, a very special thanks to our guest, Carisa Bohus from the Multnomah County Elections Office.
Asher Sham: Thank you for listening to Let’s Talk, Portland Community College’s broadcast about disability culture. Find more information and resources concerning this episode and others at pcc. edu forward slash DCA. This episode was produced by the Let’s Talk Podcast Collective as a collaborative effort between students, the Accessible Education and Disability Resource Department, and the PCC Multimedia Department.
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Cherranne’s Outro
Carrie Cantrell: Oh hey, are you still here? Well, great, thanks for sticking around! We have some amazing bonus content for you… content warning for anybody who may be sensitive to descriptions of medical procedures.
Cherranne Verduin: Hi, I’m Cherranne Verduin, who will eventually be better known on air as Ann Verduin. Thank you for listening to this episode of Let’s Talk, the first episode in which I was involved. Signing on to Let’s Talk was my first step in a long time toward pursuing a career in one of my lifelong passions, audio. Whether it was listening to the radio, listening to my favorite TV shows, Listening to my favorite YouTubers nowadays and their YouTube videos, I’ve always loved listening to something. You might wonder, Ann, why don’t you ever watch anything? Because, I can’t. I am totally blind, and I have been my whole life. I could give you some medical ese term to explain why, but, I was born very early, And in order to survive, I was given so much oxygen that my retinas, which were the part of my eyes that were really going to be responsible for my vision, were burned out. I’ve never been one to let my blindness alone stop me from living the life I wanted to live. There have been things and people who have stood between me and my heart’s deepest desires and dreams. That’s another story for a different time, if I ever choose to tell it. But, what I will say is that last year, here I was, in my 40s, Having just left a job that I knew was no longer going to work for me, and I could no longer work for it. And I was asking myself that age old question. What do I really want to do? Knowing that I needed some way to make money, I accepted a job at Portland Community College as a tech reviewer. My job is to go to websites that the college is considering implementing and seeing how well they work with my special program that I have to use to read the screen, since, after all, I’m too blind to read it myself. After doing that for about seven months, I knew that was not going to be my forever job either. It just wasn’t my passion. Having heard about the Let’s Talk Podcast Collective, I decided to check them out. My manager told me who to contact. And I turned down this road. A road that has led me to participating in this episode, and will lead me to participating in many episodes to come. I hope you’ll tune in to those episodes. Let’s talk.