What Does Accessible Voting Mean?

In 2002, the United States implemented the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which, in part, guarantees all voters the right to mark, verify, and cast their ballots privately and independently.¹ To meet federal certification standards and fulfill the rights of all voters established by HAVA, modern voting systems must be designed to accommodate all voters, regardless of ability. Today, voters with disabilities account for one-sixth of all voters, and both voters and advocates have frequently cited voting difficulties as a key reason for lower turnout among disabled voters.² With these facts in mind, voting system manufacturers prioritize the accessibility of their systems as a key component of the technology, but it is imperative that the commitment to accessibility extend beyond in-person voting to all methods of casting a ballot, including by mail. 

The Benefits of Voting by Mail for Voters with Disabilities

For many voters with disabilities, the process of traveling to a polling location and casting a ballot in person can come with unique challenges, particularly related to transportation and the physical accessibility of the location itself. In the 2020 Presidential Election, 53.2% of voters with disabilities voted by mail on or before Election Day, up from 29.3% in the 2016 Presidential Election.³ Voting by mail allows voters to take their time voting, utilize personal assistive technologies, receive assistance from family or caregivers when permitted, and avoid crowds and lines at polling places. Data from the 2020 Presidential Election revealed that if those with disabilities voted at the same rate as those without disabilities, there would be an additional 1.75 million voters.³ There are several best practices that can be implemented to help increase voter turnout among individuals with disabilities and close the gap between voters with and without disabilities.

Requesting a Ballot

For voters who do not automatically receive their ballot in the mail, the first step to casting their vote starts with requesting a mail-in ballot. Giving voters with disabilities multiple options for requesting a ballot, and allowing voters to choose what works best for them, can help mitigate existing barriers to obtaining a ballot. These options can include electronic requests via email, online portals or online access to accessible versions of documents, and large print versions of paper request forms.¹

Filling Out the Ballot

When it comes to filling out the ballot, voters with limited fine motor skills could find it hard to record their vote on standard mail ballots, and those with visual or cognitive impairments may have trouble seeing or following complicated written instructions. ⁴ One way to improve the vote by mail experience for these voters is by offering alternative ballot options, such as braille, large print, or ballots delivered electronically that can be read with assistive technology, such as screen readers. Washington County, Oregon, offers voters with disabilities two different types of alternate format ballots (AFB), including a large print ballot and an HTML ballot. The HTML Ballot can be accessed online or on a mailed CD, and the large print ballot is printed in size 18 font.¹ Accommodating voters with disabilities by offering accessible ballot options can help voters feel more comfortable, prepared, and confident when voting by mail. 

Returning the Ballot

In addition to making it easier for voters with disabilities to request a mail ballot, there are ways to implement accessible practices to help voters return their ballots. Providing voters with pre-addressed, pre-stamped, and self-sealing return ballot envelopes can be especially helpful for voters with vision impairments or limited fine motor skills. Drop boxes can also be designed and installed with accessibility in mind. This can include the use of accessible signage that has text with large characters and high color contrast to help voters locate and use the drop box and an accessible path of travel to the drop box. The slot in the drop box where the ballot is placed can also be put close to the ground to accommodate voters with mobility challenges.¹

Increasing the Availability of Accessible Vote by Mail Options

A study conducted by Rutgers and the EAC found that states providing easier access to voting by mail had higher turnout increases among voters with disabilities from 2016 to 2020.³ Additionally, according to a study conducted by the MIT Election Lab, the use of vote by mail has increased by 2-3 percentage points in every presidential election since 1996, and spiked significantly in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rising six percentage points above what would have been expected had the pandemic not occurred. The use of mail ballots constituted half of all ballots returned in the 2020 election and now makes up a third of ballots returned.⁵

One immediate way that election officials in any jurisdiction can help increase the availability of accessible vote by mail options is providing or seeking out training for staff on the best ways to serve voters with disabilities. By sharing education, information, and resources on how voting by mail can be improved to become more accessible, officials can work to implement policies that benefit and assist voters in their jurisdictions. In addition to educating election officials, advertising accessible vote by mail resources to all voters can help raise awareness. Because not all disabilities are visible, ensuring all voters know what options are available to them can help voters of all abilities make informed decisions on casting a ballot. All voters should be able to mark, verify, and cast their ballots privately and independently, and increasing the accessibility of voting by mail is one element of improving the election experience for every voter.

ABOUT CLEAR BALLOT

As the leader in election innovation, Clear Ballot has introduced a new class of tools and a modern approach to voting, enabling unprecedented speed, accuracy, and transparency that officials and the voting public have sought for decades. Clear Ballot entered the election industry with its first product in 2012, disrupting the industry with the nation’s first independent, automated audit, and four years later developed a complete voting system which is now the fastest growing voting system in the industry. Clear Ballot’s election technology is currently used in thirteen states, serving more than 45 million registered voters.

1. Election Assistance Commission. (n.d.). Best practices: Accessibility for voting by mail. In Best Practices: Accessibility for Voting by Mail. https://www.eac.gov/sites/default/files/bestpractices/Accessibility_for_Voting_by_Mail_Part_III_Accessibility_Checklist.pdf
2. Kanter, Arlene S., The Right of People with Disabilities to Exercise Their Right to Vote Under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) (2006). 30 Mental & Physical Disability L. Rep. 852, 2006, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2109885
3. Schur, L., Kruse, D., & School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers University. (2021). Fact sheet: Disability and Voter Turnout in the 2020 Elections. https://www.eac.gov/sites/default/files/document_library/files/Fact_sheet_on_disability_and_voter_turnout_in_2020_0.pdf
4. Schur, L., Ryan Harper, & Jim Dickson. (2013). Reducing Obstacles to Voting for People with Disabilities. In Presidential Commission on Election Administration & Rutgers University, White Paper Prepared for Presidential Commission on Election Administration. https://smlr.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/Documents/Centers/Program_Disability_Research/Reducing%20Obstacles%20Voting%20People%20Disabilities%20White%20Paper.pdf

5. Gronke, P., Romero, M., Shino, E., Thompson, D. Vote-by-Mail in the United States | MIT
   Election Lab. (n.d.). https://electionlab.mit.edu/research/projects/mapping-election-science/white-papers/vote-by-mail