Voting Accessibility: Year in Review (2020)
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.
Top Voting Accessibility Stories
- 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)