PUZZLES & CAMO
SHELLY HUHTANEN
One Vote
Jill Escher, the President of National Council on Severe Autism said it best. We need to create a "system for proxy voting that uses the same principles as Conservatorship proceedings." Adults with autism are "systematically disenfranchised" and stealing their right to vote, including other individuals with severe disabilities, continues to erode the fact that they are people of value in this country.
"Mom, who won? Do we know yet!?" Hayden ran into the living room and jumped into the chair to check out the results of the presidential election. I glanced over, "I don't think we're going to know for a while because we are waiting for all the mail-in ballots. It's amazing that so many people exercised their right to vote this election." I started to hear Hayden chant, "C'mon Florida!" Confused, I looked over to him curious as to why he's so interested about this election. He slid over in the chair and told me that in his government class, everyone was given a map and each student needed to predict the winner of each state. Whoever had the best predictions would get a candy bar. I'm still amazed at how motivated my sixteen-year-old can be when a candy bar hangs in the balance.
The next day after school, I asked Hayden if there were any discussions about the infamous candy bar in government class. With a look of frustration, he shook his head knowing that as the country waits for the results, the candy bar would stay in his teacher's drawer. As he shuffled his feet out of the kitchen, he looked back, "I can't wait until it's my turn to vote. I have friends that just turned eighteen this year and they got to vote." As his mom, I just had to smile at his excitement about exercising his right to vote. Good for him for understanding what makes our democracy so special.
Then, Broden walked into the room, turned around and ran back upstairs. "Hayden, do you think Broden should be able to vote even though he has severe autism?" He looked off in deep thought and then answered, "Of course Broden should be able to vote. He's a U.S. citizen. He can vote when he's eighteen, can't he?" Honestly, I hadn't thought about it before until Hayden expressed his interest in voting in the next election. I told him that I would have to research it because there could be an argument about the severity of his disability. Hayden looked up and said, "Mom, where is the line on who is "smart enough or competent enough" to vote? What's the difference between a competent individual just marking any candidate without doing their research and someone with a severe disability marking a candidate that they think should win? How is that different?"
VOTE OF CONFIDENCE?: Who gets to decide what a person with autism is thinking? Are we only allowed to gauge a person's expressive language? Why would it be acceptable for a person to deny another person the right to vote? What is their mode of measurement?
After promising him I'd look into it, I realized he made a few good points. Who gets to decide what a person with autism is thinking? Are we only allowed to gauge a person's expressive language? There are people with autism that are completely nonverbal that have written books. There are people with autism that could be labeled as "mentally incompetent" by one person, but could also be savants. Why would it be acceptable for a person to deny another person the right to vote? What is their mode of measurement? To my surprise, the answer to my question was harder to answer than I thought. Every state has its own rules. Some are more rigid than others. The issue that seemed to be raised was conservatorship. If conservatorship needs to be in place to ensure a person is cared for, there needs to be an agreement that the person is unable to make decisions on their behalf that affect their health and safety. There are many different types of conservatorships and it would be decided on a case-by-case basis. The more I read, the more I got hooked on the term "mentally incompetent". Who thinks it's acceptable to make a slap judgement if the conservatee is mentally incompetent? Also, if someone has been designated as a conservator, one who has the best interests of the conservatee, wouldn't one think that they could assist the conservatee on voting?
One may argue that the vote would be skewed to the view of the conservator who is assisting the conservatee with the vote, but I challenge that argument. If the conservator has the best interest of the person with the disability, wouldn't they choose a candidate that would believe in laws and policies that would most benefit the person with the disability? Is it a perfect scenario? No, it's not, but is it any worse than having a "competent" individual vote without taking any time to research the candidates on the ballot? Who are we to decide how others vote?
Jill Escher, the President of National Council on Severe Autism said it best. We need to create a "system for proxy voting that uses the same principles as Conservatorship proceedings." Adults with autism are "systematically disenfranchised" and stealing their right to vote, including other individuals with severe disabilities, continues to erode the fact that they are people of value in this country. In the state of California, this issue has been addressed. In 2016, under SB 589, even though a person is under a conservatorship, they can still vote unless a judge decides otherwise. If the person does not have expressive language, they are able to communicate using devices and any other form to express their interest in voting. The conservator has the ability to challenge the judge's decision by asking a disability rights lawyer for assistance.
Like the state of California, it's up to the people. The people should speak for loved ones who may not have a voice. Who should have the ability to decide who is worth a vote? As a country, it's evident that it shouldn't matter your gender, ethnicity, financial situation, the color of your skin, and it also shouldn't matter if you have a disability. One person, one vote. My son is one vote. •
PUZZLES & CAMO
Shelly Huhtanen is an Army wife stationed at Fort Benning, GA who has a child with autism. She enjoys sharing her experiences of day-to-day life caring for her son with autism while serving as an Army spouse. She authored "Giving a Voice to the Silent Many" that encompasses many stories of raising a child with autism in the military. Shelly is passionate about autism advocacy for our military and works to bring awareness to our local legislators and command about providing better support for our military autism community, such as better health care and education.
