Candidate Scorecard: Georgia Senate District 40

Both candidates were sent a questionnaire from NDSR and both candidates sent responses. Scoring is based on: questionnaire responses, current platform, public remarks, and past record (if available).

Sally Harrell

Democratic Party

OVERALL SCORE: A-

Medicaid: A

Home and Community Based Services: A

Employment and Economic Justice: B

Education: A

Criminalization: B

Affordable, Accessible Housing: B

Voting Rights and Civic Engagement: B

Transportation and Infrastructure: B

Disaster and Emergency Preparedness: B

Inclusion of disabled people in decision-making: A+

Amelia Siamomua

Republican Party

OVERALL SCORE: F

Medicaid: F

Home and Community Based Services: F

Employment and Economic Justice: F

Education: F

Criminalization: F

Affordable, Accessible Housing: F

Voting Rights and Civic Engagement: F

Transportation and Infrastructure: F

Disaster and Emergency Preparedness: F

Inclusion of disabled people in decision-making: F

Scoring Rubric:

A = Candidate stands for exceptional and/or improved policies that impact disabled people, explicitly, with disabled people and disabled people of color intentionally involved in process

B = Candidate stands for some improved policies that impact disabled people, some explicitly, with some disabled people and disabled people of color intentionally involved in process

C = Candidate stands for some improved policies that impact disabled people, but not explicit, with little to no intersectional consideration for disabled people of color

D = Candidate stands for no meaningful change in existing policies, with no disabled people involved in the process

F = Candidate stands for worse policies that further harm disabled people, especially disabled people of color

Additional Scoring Context

Questionnaire:

We sent the following questionnaire to both candidates, both of whom sent responses:

Healthcare Access

Georgia ranks among the lowest in Medicaid coverage and has not yet fully expanded

Medicaid. How will you advocate for expanding Medicaid and ensuring that disabled

Georgians have access to the healthcare services they need, including long-term

supports and services?

What is your position on increasing funding for Home and Community-Based Services

(HCBS) to allow disabled people to live independently in their communities rather than in

institutions?

Employment and Economic Justice

Georgia has not eliminated subminimum wage for disabled Georgians, and the disability

community has high rates of unemployment and underemployment. Will you commit to

supporting legislation that bans subminimum wage for disabled people, and how will you

promote equitable employment opportunities for all disabled Georgians?

Education

How do you plan to improve access to inclusive public school education for disabled

students in Georgia, and what will you do to ensure that schools are providing adequate

accommodations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?

Criminalization

Disabled people, especially those with mental health conditions, are disproportionately

incarcerated in Georgia. What specific policies will you support to reform and transform

the criminal justice system, address gaps in mental health care, combat the school-to-

prison pipeline, and reduce the incarceration of disabled people, especially disabled

BIPOC?

Affordable, Accessible Housing

Georgia faces a shortage of affordable, accessible housing for disabled people, and

housing discrimination disproportionately impacts the disability community. What policies

will you support to increase the availability of affordable and accessible housing and

ensure that disabled Georgians fair have access to homes that meet their needs?

Voting Rights and Civic Engagement

Voting in Georgia remains difficult for many disabled people due to inaccessible polling

places, lack of accommodations, lack of transportation, and restrictive voting laws. How

will you work to ensure that all disabled Georgians can exercise their right to vote?

Will you support policies that expand access to absentee voting, accessible voting

technology, and curbside voting, among others, to increase democratic participation for

disabled people?

Transportation and Infrastructure

How do you plan to advocate for state funding for accessible public transportation and

other infrastructure projects, such as sidewalks, crosswalks, and public buildings, that

meet the needs of the disability community?

Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

Recent natural disasters and public health emergencies, like the ongoing COVID-19

pandemic, have highlighted the vulnerability of disabled folks. How will you ensure that

emergency preparedness, communication systems, and disaster response plans in

Georgia include the disability community, especially people who are physically disabled,

Deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have a cognitive disability, and are designed with their

specific needs in mind?

Examples of Issues that Impacted Candidates’ Scores

On disaster and emergency preparedness:

  • Amelia Siamomua, who we scored an F, sent a brief vague response to our questionnaire. Her submitted response does not reflect her public platform or stances. Through her public X (formerly Twitter) account, @AmeliaforGASenate, we found that she reposted harmful disinformation about FEMA, targeting immigrants.

  • Sally Harrell, who we scored an A-, sent a thorough response to our questionnaire, including the following:

    • “All state planning committees and oversight boards should actively seek to fill appointments with people from the disabilities community. Without this, systems will be inadequately designed. It is so easy to inadvertently miss the needs of people living with disabilities. This can be avoided by including them in the decision and planning processes.”