Program for Disability Research publishes report, finds increase in eligible voters with disabilities

On Monday, the Program for Disability Research in the School of Management and Labor Relations published a report on the number of people with disabilities who can vote ahead of the upcoming elections in November.

Utilizing data from the 2018-2022 Census Bureau survey and its 2024 population projections, the study forecasted that approximately 40.2 million eligible voters are people with disabilities. 

The report was spearheaded by the co-directors of the program, Lisa Schur, a professor in the Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations, and Douglas Kruse, a distinguished professor in the Departments of Human Resource Management and Labor Studies and Employment Relations.

Providing a breakdown of the demographics regarding eligible voters with disabilities, such as distinctions between race, age and sex, the report explained that this voter base has seen an increase of 5.1 percent since 2020, now making up approximately one-sixth of the national electorate. 

The account also highlighted differences in the types of disabilities individuals possessed, with cognitive impairments being the most common among the youngest age group of 18- to 44-year-olds and mobility limitations the most common in all other age groups. 

Battleground states amass approximately seven million eligible disabled voters, and New Jersey has nearly one million. 

Although there are barriers to voting, "these figures show that people with disabilities constitute a sizeable share of the electorate, so their votes could influence or even determine election outcomes," the report said.