A Mother and Her Daughter with Autism Cast Their Votes
by Beth
Here’s a guest post by a mother about her adult daughter with autism and how the two of them research — and vote for — their candidates of choice.
by Bonnie Carol McGrath
Every year around election time I get the same question. “Molly votes?” People are surprised to hear that my 33-year-old daughter Molly, who has autism, is interested in elections, makes her own decisions about which candidate to vote for, and maneuvers the oftentimes complicated Cook County ballots at our polling place on her own.
And so, each election season, I end up explaining over and over again that Molly loves voting, and that she votes with enthusiasm and relish. In many cases, she knows the candidates as well — if not better — than most voters do. When her voter’s card arrives in the mail before the primaries every year, she cuts it out immediately and proudly places it in her purse.
So how can it be that an autistic person loves to vote? For starters, the Printer’s Row neighborhood that Molly and I live in here in Chicago boasts several community organizations that take elections seriously. Neighbors we know have run (and are currently running) for office. Candidates visit us regularly to ask for our vote at neighborhood candidate forums. Even Barack Obama, when he was a State Senator, made regular visits to introduce himself again and again. Little did we know….!
I have always been interested in politics and elections, and over the years I have dragged Molly (willingly) to hundreds, maybe thousands of events, fundraisers and talks featuring candidates and issues. Bottom line, Molly and I pretty much go to any candidates’ forum that we are invited to, and she meets the candidates up close and personal.
Molly probably doesn’t understand some of the finer points of public policy, but who does? However, she engages with the candidates over refreshments
after their speeches and debates at these sorts of events. She knows the feeling of having a candidate look her in the eye and sincerely offer a handshake, a little joke or a kind word. Who doesn’t?
I am a lawyer, and this year I know many of the judicial candidates personally, and I have talked with Molly about them in advance of the upcoming March 15 primary in Illinois. I often remind her that so-and-so, a friend of ours, is running and tell her to make sure she doesn’t overlook them. I let Molly know which candidates are more likely to fund programs for people with disabilities, and which ones aren’t. And trust me, she remembers — she understands how hard it is to raise money for Project Onward, the Chicago art studio where she toils each and every day creating artwork alongside dozens of other very talented artists with disabilities.
My daughter knows if someone seems interested in her and her life, and I know she estimates their character in her own way. And isn’t character what we’re supposed to be gauging when we cast our vote?
The sort of in-person engagement that candidates offer Molly has paid off for a number of candidates who have won Molly’s loyal vote. This year, like always, she’s been out meeting candidates, and once she decides she likes them, she circulates their campaign literature to our neighbors any time she’s given the opportunity.
But what about the ballot itself, people want to know. How can she understand that long and very intricate list? I do help her on some of the finer points (I might remind her of the option to vote for more than one candidate when that is a possibility, for example). Election judges know that after Molly and I take our ballots, I’ll fill mine in before helping Molly maneuver some of those finer points. I’ve never pushed her away from or toward any candidate – until this year.
This election on March 15th, I am running for judge myself – Molly will have a chance to vote for her mom. This might be one race where I might give her a little nudge when we take our ballots.
March 11th, 2016 at 8:10 pm
What a great family.