#CripTheVote

#CripTheVote is a nonpartisan campaign to engage both voters and politicians in a productive discussion about disability issues in the United States with the hope that disability takes on greater prominence within the American political landscape. Founded by Gregg Beratan, Andrew Pulrang, and Alice Wong.

While #CripTheVote is a nonpartisan project, we understand that many people have already developed preferences for particular candidates. This is great–we only ask that everyone is respectful in their interactions with each other. Our primary focus here is on increasing engagement with disability issues as a part of American politics and on the need for that we are all in agreement!

Here are five reasons you should keep an eye on #CripTheVote, and maybe get involved:

1. For disabled people, politics is often a matter of life or death. This has given #CripTheVote a sense of  urgency you won’t find in most organizations trying to shape public policy. We don’t have the luxury of staying apathetic or uninvolved. Thanks to #CripTheVote, politicians and non-disabled voters are becoming more aware of our needs.
2. #CripTheVote recognizes a broad spectrum of disabilities, both physical and mental. If you self–identify as disabled, you’ll be welcomed as part of the community. If you don’t, you’ll still be encouraged to get involved — as long as you remember that disabled people are the organization’s priority.
3. While the focus of #CripTheVote is disability, its founders know the importance of the intersection between disability and other identities, such as class, race, gender, and sexual orientation. These other identities not only can interact with disability but also impact it.
4. #CripTheVote is a global movement. In 2017, the American-founded organization spawned  #CripTheVoteUK, a grassroots campaign “to make disability rights a key issue in British politics.”
5. Although the 2016 and 2017 elections in the United States and Britain are over, #CripTheVote’s work is still gaining traction. Both countries’ branches are preparing the disabled community for what comes next, determined to keep increasing visibility on disability issues. Wong’s Disability Visibility Project, which works in tandem with #CripTheVote, summarizes its mission on its website this way:  It is an organization that is creating, “sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture.”

#CripTheVote hosts semi–regular Twitter chats It encourages people to engage in constructive discussion about disability through the hashtag #CripTheVote.