Treasure Your Vote

I originally posted about politics and one of my in laws being able to vote on November 8, 2011,  election day that year.  

As my regular readers know, my spouse has a younger brother who is autistic.  He is also a frequent listener to the news and is interested in politics.  We saw him recently, and he told us he was voting next year.  He told us his choice for President, although no one has earned a party nomination yet.

In 2016, he voted in the New York presidential primary in April.  He made his mind up from watching the TV news shows he watched.

Not only that, he voted for President, and, furthermore, voted the opposite of how his mother (who he relied on so emotionally and physically at the time) was going to vote.  It led to some interesting comments from my mother in law, who wasn't seeming to like the fact that he wasn't just following along with whatever she said.

Since then, he has made gains in independence, with a lot of help from many people.

In 2018, though, I don't think he voted. We don't press him one way or the other, as he has a right to his private thoughts, so we don't know why.  I wonder, though, if the intensity of this election cycle overwhelmed him.  His mother was also terminally ill.  She died the day after Thanksgiving in 2018.

Voting, for someone with a disability (intellectual or physically) can be a hard thing.   Believe it or not, a person with intellectual disabilities can actually be stripped of their right to vote.  But there is support out there, and information.

It can still be difficult.  In fact, my brother in law, who is in his 60's, voted for the first time in 2004.

I repeat this post in honor of my brother in law.  I also honor those who didn't have the right to vote for years in our country, including women, people of color, Natives, and others.

Please, if you are in the United States, vote today if you didn't already early vote.  Every vote counts, even for offices you may think hold little or now importance.

And now, my post from 2011.

From November of 2011 - Autism Votes (with some edits)

A Facebook post by a Facebook friend of mine, a woman who has an adult son on the autistic spectrum, inspired this post.

Her son voted for the first time in 2011. Although she is his legal guardian, her son retains his right to vote.  She told her Facebook friends that her son has looked forward to exercising his vote for years.  This was a big day for him, having turned 18.

It's also a big day for our country for another reason.

Her son is on the leading edge of a wave of adults and soon to be adults with autism.  

Just wait until all those adults with autism, who have been given the tools and supports to vote, start to exercise that right. 

Growing up, my brother in law was never encouraged to vote nor were people like him ever expected to vote.  This just didn't happen.  The belief was that they weren't "normal".  So their voices, and opinions, were unheard.

In 2004, a person who worked with him in a support role decided that my brother in law should exercise his right to vote.  He watches a news station that carries a lot of political discussions and has formed very definite political opinions.  Why shouldn't he vote?  She worked with him, he did vote, and he was very proud of voting for the presidential candidate of his choice.

For the first time, his voice was heard.

It is not easy for a person with autism to vote, as described here, but it can be done with proper education and proper support.  This issue isn't restricted to the United States, either.

It will be interesting to hear what these new adults with autism have to say in the voting booth.