Republicans are making it harder for disabled vets to vote - just in time for Memorial Day!
Millions of veterans live in Texas, Florida, Georgia and Arizona. Exactly the states where Republican legislatures are making it harder to vote by restricting vote by mail, drop boxes and curb side voting - all options that help the disabled to cast their ballots.
The last Republican budget slashed benefits for veterans and almost eliminated the Affordable Care Act. What happens when these vulnerable groups are silenced by taking away their votes?
This StoryMap explains:
- Which counties have the most veterans and disabled?
- What options help seniors and the disabled vote?
- How restrictive voter ID laws make it much harder for the disabled to vote?
- Past Republican comments and legislation for veterans?
- Groups helping the veteran community?
- How the FOR THE PEOPLE ACT helps veterans
StoryMap design
Created maps of the concentration of veterans and those with disabilities with data from Living Atlas.
Data on veteran's issues was referenced from the National Council of State Legislatures and House Committee On The Budget.
Details on recent voter suppression measures and how they impact the disabled was added from HuffPost.
Graphics were added with attribution from the Oklahoman and Political Cartoons.
Three wonderful videos from Now This, REV UP and Memorial Day.
A donation link to Disabled American Veterans which serves veterans.
An audio version of the FOR THE PEOPLE from ReadSpeak act.
A link to help concerned veterans contact their Senator to demand supporting the FOR THE PEOPLE act.
A storytelling tool for our times
Design your own story with the free StoryMaps app. You can combine text, images, interactive maps, audio, video and links into an engaging story. Simply include the link to the material you are referencing. Stories are easy to share online and can be refreshed at any time with new information.
This MEMORIAL DAY StoryMap can be freely shared with this link https://arcg.is/yefaW0 or embedded in a website with this piece of code.
< iframe src="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e23d29fa6c0544ec861a3b37278814d4" width="100%" height="500px" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="geolocation">
TakeAway: Paraphrasing Ferris Bueller's advice, "News moves pretty fast, if you don't respond quickly, you might miss the cycle".
Mobilize support quickly. Make your message clear, engaging and easy to share. Use the free StoryMaps app.
Deepak
DemLabs
Three cartoons used in the StoryMap from Political Cartoons.
