Living Independently

Service Center Locations in Boulder County

Vote Button

Service centers will be available for the primary election, Boulder county is not using Polling Places for this election. Voters may conduct the following at a service center location:

• Vote in person on an ADA accessible voting machine or paper ballot
• Update voter registration information
• Receive a replacement ballot
• Drop off a voted ballot
• Unaffiliated voters can affiliate, receive a ballot and vote

Service Center Locations

BOULDER County Clerk & Recorder’s Office, 1750 33rd Street

* 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, July 27-Aug. 6
* 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 7
* 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 9
* 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Election Day, Aug. 10

LONGMONT County Clerk & Recorder’s Office, 529 Coffman Street

* 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, July 27-Aug. 6
* 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 7
* 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 9
* 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Election Day, Aug. 10

LONGMONT Twin Peaks Mall, 1250 South Hover Road (Northeast entrance, near Sears)

* 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, Aug. 2-6
* 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 7
* 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 9
* 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Election Day, Aug. 10

LAFAYETTE Lafayette Public Library, 775 West Baseline Road

* 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, Aug. 2-6
* 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 7
* 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 9
* 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Election Day, Aug. 10

Around Colorado, System Change

By Tim Wheat

Tim Wheat, photo by Tom Olin

Twenty years ago today the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, was signed by President Bush in the Rose Garden.  I have read and heard speeches about this anniversary; most people marking the day as a great step forward in civil rights, but cautiously adding that there is still a long way to go. I have a unique goal for this anniversary.

My hope for the 20 year celebration is not to hear the word “handicap” applied to our community today.

The ADA, now 20 years old, does not include the word “handicap” in any of the nearly 22,000 words of the act. There was an effort in the disability community to advance the term “people with disabilities” as the characterization of choice. Similarly, the term “handicapped” was demoted, but it is not clear if it is truly derogatory or simply a label that is not preferred. Conversely, the Fair Housing Amendments Act is packed with the word handicapped. It was passed two years before the ADA does not use the word “disability” even once in its almost 12 thousand words.

Ironically the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act, which was passed by Congress in 2008 to rectify some of the courts understanding of the original concept of disability, uses the words “handicap” and “handicapped” each one time.

Hatred and disrespect are obvious when someone uses a derogatory term for a racial or ethnic group; however, the word “handicapped” does not seem to carry the same venom when aimed at our community. Likewise, people with disabilities often don’t react with malice when they are called handicapped. Many people with disabilities, agencies that work with people with disabilities and the disability community as a whole do not have a consistent reaction to “handicapped” as a demeaning term.

Text graphic ...we can expect to be called handicapped for years to come.

Most of the time people do not use the word in anger and so they project a passive reception for the listener. On the other hand, if a person means to humiliate a person with a disability; calling them handicapped does not seem to have much bite.

Slurs and racial insults are not purged from the language, but they don’t have the pseudo-government approval that the word “handicapped” does.  By pseudo-government approval I mostly point to the Fair Housing Amendments Act that uses the term extensively. It gives lawyers, journalists and our community the tacit approval to use “handicapped” to describe us. Although the ADA does not use the term, it also does not prohibit its use and the proliferation of “Handicapped Parking” signs implicitly creates that approval. For the upcoming national election, the state of Colorado has approved “Handicapped Access” for voter instructions. The state and federal accessible parking regulations do not use the word handicapped, however a significant number of businesses will purchase signs that will say: “Handicapped Parking.”

I know some people will think I have ruined my enjoyment of the 20th Anniversary by paying homage to political correctness rather than the civil rights at the root of the celebration. Of course it would be nice if no one used the word, but I feel that after twenty years our inability to define ourselves says more about the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act that the employment rate, poverty and housing.  Until the disability community provides clear direction and leadership we can expect to be called handicapped for years to come.

Handicapped parking sign

Around Colorado, Around the country, System Change

Today is the last day to change or withdraw from party affiliation before the Aug. 10 primary.

The 2010 Primary Election will be Tuesday, August 10 and will be a mail ballot. There will be no polling places but people with disabilities that wish to use accessible voting equipment to cast their ballot privately and independently may visit one of the service centers. This link is to a list of designated service center locations: http://www.bouldercounty.org/clerk/elections/2010primaryservcent.htm

CPWD is working so that everyone has the ability to vote and we encourage you to get out on vote.  We have found that the best way to avoid problems on Election Day is to check and keep your voter information up to date.

If you live in Boulder County, you may check your voter registration information at the Boulder County Clerk’s website:

https://webpubapps.bouldercounty.org/Clerk/Voters/promptforname.aspx

Anyone in Colorado may check their voter registration information at the Sectary of State’s website:

https://www.sos.state.co.us/Voter/secuRegVoterIntro.do;jsessionid=00007wkCLB99K6yyL_QOUEC1Pat:121vl9gps

In the upcoming primary following are some quick facts:

• Mail-in ballots for the primary go out on July 19. Ballots cannot be forwarded by mail.
• Voters must be affiliated with a political party participating in the 2010 Primary Election to receive a ballot and vote. Only party-affiliated voters can participate in the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian party primaries.
• Unaffiliated voters can affiliate with a party until 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Around Colorado, System Change Vote

CPWD has a long commitment to accessible voting. We are particularly concerned about being able to vote confidentially and independently so that a person with a disability does not have to depend or expect someone else to help and know how they have voted.

Boulder County Accessible voting system.

The Secretary of State’s Elections Division, in partnership with the Voter Accessibility, Independence and Privacy Task Force and The Legal Center are hosting an accessible voting machine event on Tuesday, May 25 at the Secretary of State’s Office. If you can attend you can have “hands on” access to how these voting systems work. This event is specifically for people with disabilities to try out the machines.

What: Accessible Voting Machine Demonstration
When: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 from 10am-3pm
Where:1700 Broadway, 3rd floor, Aspen Room, Denver

Colorado will have mail-in ballots throughout the state, but anyone who wishes to vote privately and independently may use an accessible voting system in their home county. If someone pressures to see or fill out your mail-in ballot, that is election fraud. You can avoid that pressure by voting in-person with an accessible voting system.

All four of the accessible voting systems certified for use in Colorado will be available for folks to look at and vote on using sample ballots. These voting machines will be provided by the counties using them for their elections. There will be county elections staff available to demonstrate the voting machines and answer questions.

-tw

Around Colorado, System Change Vote