Local first-time voter receives special recognition on U.S. House floor

by Dan Holland

United States Rep. Max Miller, who represents Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, took time prior to a Dec. 5 congressional work session to recognize the efforts of Broadview Heights resident Kevin Boyle, who voted for the first time during the November general election. 

During his remarks, Miller displayed a photo of Kevin, 21, and explained how he had recently cast his first vote despite contending with disabilities.

“I rise today to recognize Kevin Boyle of Broadview Heights, Ohio,” Miller began. “Kevin came to America through adoption from El Salvador while his mom met him there while doing missions work. Kevin was very sick and had significant disabilities. The Boyles already had another child, Courteney, who herself had disabilities and significant medical needs.”

“As an upstanding citizen of Northeast Ohio, Kevin exercised his right to vote for the first time in the 2024 presidential election,” he continued. “Today, I celebrate Kevin for this milestone event, and this is an incredible story that should be shared throughout the country; and what a victory.”

Although his condition has never been precisely diagnosed, Kevin’s condition is similar to cerebral palsy, in addition to having significant autism, explained his father, Dan Boyle.

Boyle explained how they first became aware of Kevin’s voting eligibility when they met Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose last year, who accompanied them as they handed out literature in the city in support of candidate Shay Hawkins, who works for LaRose’s office. Hawkins was running for a Broadview Heights City Council seat at the time.

“I mentioned that Kevin had never voted before due to his significant disabilities and having a legal guardian, and we thought he wouldn’t be allowed to vote,” said Boyle. “But Frank LaRose told us that was not the case; that every American citizen has the right to vote unless a judge takes it away, which is extremely rare. We were surprised by that.”

Dan and Christine Boyle later registered their son Kevin to vote, and took him to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections office in downtown Cleveland this fall to allow him to cast his vote.

“We were very impressed with the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections,” said Christine Boyle. “They had a special area for ADA; for people with disabilities to vote, and they went out of their way to help Kevin. I work in disability ministry, and we’ve been doing this for 24 years, and there’s not much that surprises us.”

The day after their trip to the county elections office, the Boyles attended an event at The Boneyard restaurant in Broadview Heights, where they met with Miller and shared their experience with him.

“[Miller] asked us if it would be okay for him to honor Kevin on the floor of Congress before one of their work sessions to celebrate the occasion,” shared Dan Boyle. “He told us that he is always looking for human interest stories among his constituents, and he thought it was an amazing story.”

The Boyle’s daughter, Courteney, who suffered from Moebius Syndrome, passed away in 2022 at the age of 21.

“We’ve been involved in the disability community for 24 years now, and we never knew that Kevin could vote, so it has been fun it letting our friends, who have kids or young adults with disabilities, in helping them to understand that they are able to vote,” said Christine Boyle. “Frank LaRose was so encouraging, and we were able to share our story later with him regarding Kevin. I loved seeing his passion for the disability community, and his wanting to make sure that every Ohio voter knows they can vote regardless of their disability.”“It meant a lot to us, since it tells a little bit of Kevin’s story, and it also shows that no matter what a person’s disability may be, everyone has that opportunity, which we didn’t know in Kevin’s case,” said Dan Boyle. “It was really cool to find out that this was the case, and that he got to do this. It’s not only great for Kevin, but we’re really big on disability awareness, and we’re grateful that we can share this with other people.” 

photo caption: U.S. Rep. Max Miller displays a photo of Broadview Heights resident Kevin Boyle on the U.S. House Floor Dec. 5 to recognize how the now 21-year-old, who suffers from a condition similar to cerebral palsey, was able to vote in the Nov. 5 election for the first time. Photo submitted.