"The EAC is committed to ensuring accessibility for voters with disabilities. Since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law 34 years ago today, election officials across the country have worked hard to reduce barriers individuals with disabilities face; from improving accessible voter registration processes, to facilitating accessible options to cast a ballot. Today, we reflect on the impact of the ADA, and celebrate the efforts by election officials across the country to ensure voters with disabilities can cast a ballot that is private and independent. The EAC will continue to support state and local officials as they further work to enhance the voting experience for the millions of Americans living with disabilities.”
— Chairman Ben Hovland, Vice Chair Donald Palmer, Commissioner Thomas Hicks and Commissioner Christy McCormick.
Today marks the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) being signed into law. With the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which established the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), this landmark legislation ensured all eligible voters with disabilities can exercise their right to vote. The EAC strives to support election officials across the country to serve all eligible voters, including the more than 40.2 million eligible voters with disabilities.
This special edition newsletter highlights the EAC's efforts including accessibility resources such as checklists, best practices, the latest accessibility video training series, and research showing the progress election officials have made across the country to improve access to voting for eligible voters with disabilities.
Accessibility Training Prepares Election Workers to Assist Voters with Disabilities
The EAC, in partnership with the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media at GBH (NCAM), created an innovative video training series for election officials, poll workers, and other election stakeholders about making voting more accessible.
Titled “Accessible Elections - Information for Election Officials,” the series incorporates not only physical accessibility, like creating accessible polling places, but also website, social media, and digital accessibility. The series’ widely applicable guidance adheres to accessibility laws nationwide.
Accessibility Checklist: Accessible Communications
A foundational aspect of accessibility and elections is communication. Receiving election information from election offices is paramount to building trust with all voters, including those with disabilities. To ensure election officials can successfully communicate with voters, the EAC released a checklist on accessible communication. This checklist offers tips and best practices for electronic documents, in-person communications, videos and virtual meetings, and social media posts.
Best Practices
Title II of the ADA requires state and local governments to ensure people with disabilities have equal access to government services and information, including the voting process. The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) mandates that participating states provide voter registration options at offices that offer services to individuals, including those with disabilities. This EAC guide highlights the primary barriers to accessibility in the voter registration process and provides best practices to election offices to help ensure voters with disabilities have equal access to this crucial first step of the voting experience.
Voters with disabilities represent approximately one-sixth of the American electorate and encompass a broad range of voters, including those with mobility, visual, communicative, physical, or cognitive impairments. This resource covers the obstacles these voters may face with in-person voting and provides best practices to ensure they have equal access to all aspects of the in-person voting experience.
Accessibility for Voting By Mail
According to the EAC’s Disability and Voting Accessibility in the 2020 Election survey conducted by Rutgers University, voters with disabilities were more likely to vote by mail. This EAC resource highlights the primary barriers to voting by mail and provides best practices to help ensure voters with disabilities have equal access to this crucial voting option.
Accessibility Training Prepares Election Workers to Assist Voters with Disabilities
The EAC highlights innovative best practices developed by state and local election offices annually through the Clearinghouse Awards, with a category dedicated to improving voting accessibility for voters with disabilities. The following election offices received Clearinghouse Awards for accessibility programs implemented in 2023.
- Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Elections - American Sign Language (ASL) Video Project
- Knox County Clerk, Indiana - Electronic Sample Ballots
Learn more about these and other accessibility programs at eac.gov/clearies.
20-Year Retrospective Finds HAVA has Improved Voting Experiences of People with Disabilities
The EAC, in partnership with Rutgers University, released a report earlier this year examining how the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) impacted the voting experiences of voters with disabilities, since it was enacted in 2002. The research reveals that since its passage, HAVA has improved the voting experiences of people with disabilities and that it can be used to continue to address the difficulties people with disabilities face when voting.
Save the Date
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
EAC Public Hearing on Accessibility
On Wednesday, August 28, 2024, the EAC will hold an in-person accessibility event in the EAC’s hearing room in Washington, DC, and live streamed on the EAC’s YouTube channel. Topics include the progress made on serving voters with disabilities and new advances in technology, best practices, and funding opportunities to support accessibility efforts. More information on this event, including how to register to attend in person, is available here.