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Recognizing September 14-18, 2026, as Disability Voting Rights Week in the City of Philadelphia.
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WHEREAS, Disability Voting Rights Week (DVRW), is a nationwide, nonpartisan movement hosted by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and their Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power! (REV UP) Campaign, which seeks to increase civic engagement within the disability community by building power, raising awareness about voting barriers, and advocating for fully accessible elections; and
WHEREAS, Disability Voting Rights Week was created by grassroots disabled activists. DVRW is a cross-disability, cross-movement week of action centered on advocacy, celebrating community, and building power, and includes voter registration and education events, candidate forums on disability issues, digital organizing, creative actions, and engaging with elected officials; and
WHEREAS, The REV UP Voting Campaign is a nonpartisan campaign led by grassroots and national organizers who work to advance the disability vote. Its mission is to foster civic engagement, protecting the voting rights of Americans with disabilities, and build the power of the disability vote across the country. In 2016, the REV Up Voting Campaign was launched as an initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities, a cross-disability civil rights organization dedicated to building the economic and political power of people with disabilities across the country. REV UP coalitions and partners are putting this mission into action by coming together to learn, organize, celebrate, and harness the power of more than 40 million eligible disabled voters; and
WHEREAS, Across the country, voters with disabilities continue to experience barriers that can make it difficult, and at times impossible, to participate fully in elections, while communities demonstrate the power of collective action by helping one another make plans to vote, sharing resources, advocating for change, and recognizing that even small actions can make a meaningful difference; and
WHEREAS, By celebrating Disability Voting Rights Week 2026, we lift the importance of addressing the persistent barriers to voting, equipping communities with the resources needed to champion accessible futures and ensuring that polling places are accessible to every voter. Recognizing that building an accessible democracy begins with each of us, every individual and community must be able to participate fully in our democracy; and
WHEREAS, Disability Voting Rights Week continues to serve as a reminder that democracy is only accessible when every voter can participate, and that protecting the Disability Vote ensures that people with disabilities have a voice in the decisions that shape their lives; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby recognizes September 14-18, 2026 as Disability Voting Rights Week in the City of Philadelphia.
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