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Now here’s something you truly don’t see every day: a candidate for public office doing something beneficial for Democrats and Republicans.
James Woods, a Democrat running in Congressional District 5, hosted a party over the weekend to get local political candidates’ campaign materials reproduced in braille, for blind and other sight-impaired voters.
See also: Woods, who’s blind, cited a “huge communication gap” between the elected and citizens with disabilities, so he organized the event, getting volunteers familiar with the braille machine to help reproduce the materials.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there. “Basic improvements like adding alternative formats for information and platforms would engage more constituents in the election process,” Woods says in a statement. Woods’ spokeswoman says candidates and organizers of campaigns in both major parties were at the event, which was held out in Chandler. Woods, who we’ve written about before, is undoubtedly an interesting candidate, although he faces an uphill battle as far as his electoral hopes are concerned — the seat he’s campaigning for is currently held by Republican Congressman Matt Salmon, and Republicans have a healthy majority over Democrats in that district. Got a tip? Send it to: Matthew Hendley. Follow Valley Fever on Twitter at @ValleyFeverPHX.
–Q&A: James Woods, Blind, Atheist Congressional Candidate
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