DREDF Files Joint Amicus Brief Defending the Rights of Voters with Chronic Conditions

On October 6, DREDF, along with the American Diabetes Association, AARP, and other leading disability rights organizations, filed an amicus brief in Merrill v. People First of Alabama defending a federal court decision that blocked the State of Alabama from banning curbside voting and implementing stringent vote-by-mail documentation requirements. The brief argues that Alabama’s onerous measures would force many Alabamians with diabetes and other chronic conditions to violate social distancing guidelines and put themselves at risk of contracting COVID-19 in order to exercise their constitutional right to vote. On October 21, the U.S. Supreme Court granted Alabama a stay, eliminating curbside voting for disabled Alabama voters. Justice Sotomayor dissented with Justices Breyer and Kagin in an opinion citing the amicus brief.