Iowa’s Statewide Initiative To Help Veterans & The Disabled Vote

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced a new statewide initiative to help all eligible Iowans participate in the November general election. The effort focuses particularly on military veterans and Iowans with disabilities.

Pate’s office has produced videos, brochures, and a new webpage that detail the resources available to Iowans with disabilities to help them register to vote and to cast their ballot for the November general election.

"We owe a debt of gratitude to those who defended our right to vote, so reaching out to the veterans’ community is very important. We also want to help all Iowans who have a disability, to educate them on the resources available to them to make it easier to cast their ballot.” -Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate

The Secretary of State’s website is sos.iowa.gov/disabilities.html. The site provides a one-stop shop to help Iowans with disabilities vote. There, you can register to vote online, download an absentee ballot request form, and learn about curbside voting and other assistance you can receive at your polling site. That webpage also includes several videos that detail how to register to vote, what to expect at your polling site, and how to use voting machines specially designed for people with disabilities.

Secretary Pate also hired a voter outreach coordinator to travel the state, visiting with veterans groups and organizations that work with Iowans with disabilities, to help promote the resources available to them.

“I would like to acknowledge the Secretary of State’s Office support and willingness to partner with our Council to improve voting access to Iowans with disabilities,” said Steve Crew, chair of the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council. “In addition, I also want to thank them for their commitment to ensure that the spirit of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) is alive and well in the State of Iowa.”

If anyone needs more information about registering to vote or resources available to Iowans with disabilities, contact sos@sos.iowa.gov/disabilities.html, or call 888-SOS-VOTE.