Unicorn Children’s Foundation helps people with disabilities register to vote

The November election is less than 50 days away, and in an effort to make sure everyone in the community is able to cast their ballots, a Boca Raton organization is offering a helping hand to those with disabilities on National Voter Registration Day.

"Some of the barriers that we're seeing that impair an individual's ability to vote or discourage them is the inaccessibility of polling and registration sites," said Unicorn Children's Foundation CEO Sharon Alexander.

Alexander said 12% of individuals in Palm Beach County have one or more disabilities, and about a third of that population is not likely to vote.

“That’s a huge number," she said. "We know in terms of developmental and cognitive impairments, one in five children are diagnosed. So, it’s a huge segment of the population.”

Although Tuesday was the first voter registration drive for Unicorn Children's Foundation, Alexander said it won't be the last.

“It is a right. It's an opportunity," she said. "And just because you have a disability should not preclude you from taking part in this civic responsibility.”

The deadline to register to vote in Florida is Oct. 11.

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