# Partisan reliability of disabled voters (U.S.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 3, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690 "2012-02-03T22:31:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690/1 "2012-02-03T22:31:53Z")
Has any research been conducted on the voting habits of disabled American voters? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690/2 "2012-02-04T00:04:13Z")
I don’t know if this is an indicator of the loyalty of disabled voters but the ADA is under pretty consistent attack by the right wing talk machine. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690/3 "2012-02-04T00:22:10Z")
That will depend a lot on how you define disabled. At its broadest, it would include everyone from the 18-year-old wheelchair user who has had cerebral palsy since birth to the 30-something veteran who lost an eye to the elderly person who qualifies for some disability benefits due to age-related conditions. So: what do you mean by disabled? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690/4 "2012-02-04T00:45:13Z")
They have a Democratic tilt. I’m trying to find the stats. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690/5 "2012-02-04T00:49:01Z")
> [@](#): > > People with disabilities were once again more likely to vote for the Democratic Presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama, unlike in 2004 when they voted for the Republican candidate, President George W. Bush, for the first time. According to the final Harris Poll 2008 pre-election survey, half of people with disabilities (50%) supported Obama as opposed to 44% for McCain. From [here](http://www.2010disabilitysurveys.org/pdfs/surveyresults.pdf). Pdf. The percentage of disabled voters voting is going up. Other than 2004, it looks like they have a Democratic tilt, at least in the presidential races. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690/6 "2012-02-04T02:21:55Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > From [here](http://www.2010disabilitysurveys.org/pdfs/surveyresults.pdf). Pdf. > > The percentage of disabled voters voting is going up. Other than 2004, it looks like they have a Democratic tilt, at least in the presidential races. 50 to 44? Was the poll conducted before the election , which would explain the six percent who were undecided? At any rate Obama won by a fairly comfortable margin in 2008 and this may mean that the disabled vote is generally similar to the general vote. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690/7 "2012-02-04T03:52:28Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > At any rate Obama won by a fairly comfortable margin in 2008 and this may mean that the disabled vote is generally similar to the general vote. Given the wide spectrum of humanity that falls under the moniker of ‘disabled’, I would tend to agree. I would think it would mirror that of the public at large. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690/8 "2012-02-04T04:37:55Z")
BTW, what I was defining as “disabled”-Anyone with a visible impediment to a “normal life”. (wheelchair, regardless of circumstances, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690/9 "2012-02-06T17:35:05Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > 50 to 44? Was the poll conducted before the election , which would explain the six percent who were undecided? At any rate Obama won by a fairly comfortable margin in 2008 and this may mean that the disabled vote is generally similar to the general vote. Those figures actually suggest that disabled voters were _less_ likely than the general public to vote for Obama, since he won the popular vote by a slightly higher percentage (52.9 to 45.7). ETA: I doubt anyone has conducted a study based on your personal definition of “disabled”, **etv**. The ADA defines disability as: > [@](#): > > (A) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual; > > (B) a record of such an impairment; or > > (C) being regarded as having such an impairment. > > 42 U.S.C. § 12102(2); see also 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(g). A person must meet the requirements of at least one of these three criteria to be an individual with a disability under the Act. > > The first part of the definition covers persons who actually have physical or mental impairments that substantially limit one or more major life activities. The focus under the first part is on the individual, to determine if (s)he has a substantially limiting impairment. To fall under the first part of the definition, a person must establish three elements: > > (1) that (s)he has a physical or mental impairment > > (2) that substantially limits > > (3) one or more major life activities. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690/10 "2012-02-06T20:10:27Z")
Look, are disabled voters ever numerous enough to swing an election? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690/11 "2012-02-06T20:19:53Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Those figures actually suggest that disabled voters were _less_ likely than the general public to vote for Obama, since he won the popular vote by a slightly higher percentage (52.9 to 45.7). > > ETA: I doubt anyone has conducted a study based on your personal definition of “disabled”, **etv**. The ADA defines disability as: My personal definition jives with the gov’t definition. Mine isn’t as “wonky” I guess. ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690/12 "2012-02-06T20:28:44Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Look, are disabled voters ever numerous enough to swing an election? According to the US Bureau of the Census, [as of 2004 there were ~32 million disabled adults in the US](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability#Demographics), making them the third-largest minority (behind Hispanics and African Americans). One could argue that the disabled are more diverse than other minorities, making them somewhat more difficult to target as a demo. I don’t know, just a guess as to why such a large group isn’t as prominent as other groups on the political radar. ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690/13 "2012-02-06T20:54:17Z")
ETA: The report **jsgoddess** links to seems to imply the disabled vote less than the general population–although in 2008 their numbers were comparable. This may be another reason they aren’t courted by the political process as much as other minorities. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partisan-reliability-of-disabled-voters-u-s/611690/14 "2012-02-06T21:14:16Z")
It’s generally more difficult for disabled people to exercise their vote, depending of course on the severity of the disability. That probably contributes to a lower overall turnout. Plus, as was pointed out, they tend to be a pretty diverse group. My disabled sister-in-law is pretty conservative. She gets it from her Fox News-watching parents. Her other four siblings including my wife are fairly liberal. It’s kind of ironic, because it’s people like her who have the most to gain from health care reform and the most to lose from medicare cuts.