Accessibility in the News: Voting Accessibility
The most widely covered accessibility story of the year centered around voting. We saw dozens of weekly articles reporting on the November US elections. Setting politics aside as much as possible while talking about an election, for many voters with disabilities the 2020 election had high stakes. As COVID-19 cases continued to rise leading up to November 4th, questions of voter accessibility remained uncertain. However, accessibility at the polls is not a new challenge for people with disabilities, so what was different this year?
Pre-COVID-19, it seemed like not much would be different. During primary elections, the lack of accessible polling places, polling machines, and distance voting options remained as problematic as they were in any normal year. As COVID-19 cases increased around the country, progressive actions were taken in many states in response. With a need for more at-home voting options due to safety concerns, many states issued mail-in ballots, which opened the accessibility of voting to many eligible voters. Yet, various government officials spoke out against mail-in ballots, claiming there was an increased risk of fraud.
Many voters with disabilities banded together to file lawsuits against their respective states when they felt they were being prevented from accessing the poll booth. Despite all the challenges involved with the 2020 election, progress was made in the way of voting accessibility.
Voting Accessibility in 2021
Disabled Voters Seek Federal Bulwark as States Chip Away Access
July 20, 2021 | Source: Bloomberg Law
7 Ways New Voting Laws Can Affect People With Disabilities
July 25, 2021 | Source: Forbes
Disabilities advocates watching states chip away at voting opportunities are leaning on the Biden administration to make tangible strides to make voting more accessible. The federal government can do more to ensure that basic amenities like wheelchair accessible ramps are provided at polling stations or that vital election materials are translated into American Sign Language. Disabilities advocates, who recently met with Vice President Kamala Harris, are rallying in advance of draft recommendations from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on making voting more accessible…
Nebraska election officials take steps to make voting accessible for disabled voters
July 14, 2021 | Source: Siouxland News
Free and fair elections are a fundamental American right and now Nebraska takes steps to ensure those with disabilities can vote barrier-free, in some cases literally opening doors. Many take advantage of automated doors and libraries, banks, and schools because of the convenience. “For people with disabilities or mobility issues to get through easily,” said Hall County Election Commissioner Tracy Overstreet. Overstreet has identified nine polling places that don’t have accessible doors. It reflects a shift in where voting takes place…
Remarks by Vice President Harris Before Meeting with Disabilities Advocates to Discuss Voting Rights
July 14, 2021 | Source: The White House
Well, I want to thank these incredible leaders for joining us today, this morning. The issue of voting rights in America is probably among the most serious and significant issues that we are facing at this moment. And voting rights for people with disabilities is one of our highest priorities. In that context, I have asked these leaders to join me to provide us with insight, with advice, and with perspective on not only how these emerging laws in various states will impact our friends and our neighbors and family members with disabilities, but also I am fully aware that even before these laws started to most recently emerge, we still weren’t doing a good job…
Commissioners recertify handicap accessibility of polling places
July 2, 2021 | Source: LebTown
Lebanon County commissioners approved Thursday the recertification of all 60 polling places as handicap accessible. Michael Anderson, director/chief clerk of Voter Registration, asked the commissioners to approve the 2021 Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Polling Place Accessibility Report, noting that all voting locations throughout the county have been recertified as handicap accessible. “I would note that within the next year that we are going to go out and reassess all of these locations,” said Anderson…
Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Newton County, Arkansas and its Board of Election Commissioners to Ensure Polling Place Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities
June 16, 2021 | Source: U.S. Department of Justice& Agreement & Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The Justice Department yesterday reached a settlement under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with Newton County, Arkansas, and its Board of Election Commissioners to ensure that the County provides an accessible voting program, including accessible polling places, to voters with disabilities. The Department of Justice reviewed the County’s voting program for compliance with the ADA. The United States identified architectural barriers at the County’s polling places, such as a lack of accessible parking areas and pathways made inaccessible by gaps and level changes, as well as gravel and grass…
Federal Judge Orders North Carolina To Provide Accessible Absentee Voting
June 17, 2021 | Source: Disability Rights Advocates
On June 15, 2021, Judge Terrence W. Boyle of the federal District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina ordered the North Carolina Board of Elections to take immediate steps to ensure that blind voters will have equal access to the 2021 municipal elections and all subsequent elections. Prior to Judge Boyle’s ruling, the North Carolina Absentee Voting Program required voters to fill out a paper ballot and return the ballot by mail, providing no alternatives to accommodate individuals with vision disabilities who are unable to independently and privately read and mark a paper ballot…
Biden signs executive order expanding voting access
March 7, 2021 | Source: WICZ & The White House& NBC & PoliticusUSA &Detroit Free Press & Alabama News Network
Executive Order on Promoting Access to Voting
March 7, 2021 | Source: The White House
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Sunday expanding voting access in what the White House calls “an initial step” in its efforts to “protect the right to vote and ensure all eligible citizens can freely participate in the electoral process.” The move comes just three days after the House of Representatives passed HR1, a sweeping ethics and election package aimed at ensuring voting rights, with provisions expanding early and mail-in voting, restoring voting rights to former felons, and easing voter registration for eligible Americans…
Top Voting Accessibility Stories of 2020
- January 14, 2020 – Voters with disabilities describe experiences at polls – The Temple News
- February 5, 2020 – Iowa Democrats’ Efforts To Increase Accessibility For Disabled Participants Praised By Some, Fall Short By Others – Kaiser Health News
- May 11, 2020 – Feds Warn States That Online Voting Experiments Are ‘High-Risk’ – NPR
- June 14, 2020 – Blind Voters Fear Loss Of Privacy With Shift To Mail Voting – HuffPost
- July 7, 2020 – Voting by Mail is Essential for Voters with Disabilities, but it’s Not Enough – EIN
- June 25, 2020 – New York’s New Accessible Absentee Ballots Aren’t Accessible Enough, Voters Say – City Limits
- July 13, 2020 – Texas runoff elections show stress of coronavirus on state’s voting system – The Texas Tribune
- June 25, 2020 – New York’s New Accessible Absentee Ballots Aren’t Accessible Enough, Voters Say – City Limits
- September 1, 2020 – Virginia agrees to make mail-in voting accessible to blind voters who sued – Washington Post
- September 9, 2020 – Disability rights group suing Texas counties, including 3 in East Texas, for alleged violations of federal election laws – East Texas Matters
- September 24, 2020 – Blind Voters Are Suing North Carolina and Texas, Arguing that Mail Ballots Are Discriminatory – Time
- September 30, 2020 – Audit found 43 states’ mail-in ballot applications are not accessible for people with disabilities – The Hill
- October 1, 2020 – Digital vote-by-mail applications in most states are inaccessible to people with disabilities – Tech Crunch
- November 30, 2020 – 8 Ways To Make Elections Better For People With Disabilities – Forbes
- December 3, 2020 – Blind Hoosiers File Lawsuit Against the Indiana Election Commission and the Secretary of State – Disability Rights Advocates
Voting Accessibility Archives
Accessibility in Politics: From Campaigns to Voting (2019 Year in Review)
Annual “Clearies” Award Winners for Improving Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities
Each year, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) invites submissions to its Clearinghouse Awards (aka “Clearies”) in several categories including technologies or programs improving accessibility for voters with disabilities. Submissions for 2020 nominations are open through Friday, January 22, 2021.
Prior award winners include:
- Mercer County, California
- National Council on Independent Living
- Board of Elections, Washington D.C.
- Iowa Secretary of State
Election and Voting Related Accessibility Statements
- Alaska Division of Elections
- Louisiana Secretary of State
- Texas Secretary of State
- Democratic National Convention
- Republican National Convention
- Accessibility Statement Archive
Helpful Resources
- A Roadmap for Usability and Accessibility of Elections (Center for Civic Design)
- National Center for Nonvisual Election Technology (National Federation of the Blind)
