This Disability Voting Rights Week, visit AccessibleVoting.net
AccessibleVoting.net is a plain language guide to accessible voting options available in every state. Originally launched in 2022, it has been newly updated to prepare voters across the country for the 2024 General Election, just in time for Disability Voting Rights Week.
Voters with disabilities make up an important voting bloc, with 5.8 million reported voting in November 2022 according to the EAC. Yet, systemic barriers prevent many people with disabilities from accessing their right to vote. The good news? In recent years the gap has shrunk, but there’s still more work to do.
AccessibleVoting.net ensures that all voters—including older adults, voters with disabilities, new citizens, and new voters—have access to clear, timely information. That can make the difference between voters exercising their right to vote or not participating in elections at all.
Rylin Rodgers, Disability Policy Advisor on Microsoft Democracy Forward and Accessibility team says “Microsoft believes that accessibility is a fundamental right. When it comes to elections, that means that everyone—including voters with disabilities—have the right to cast an independent and private ballot. The reality of participation among voters with disabilities does not yet match the promise of those rights. This challenge created a chance to say what can we do to help move us forward? AccessibleVoting.net is a tangible, proactive step to dismantling barriers for both voters with disabilities and the election officials who serve them.”
AccessibleVoting.net features:
- Direct links to state accessible voting information pages, so that site visitors can confidently find #TrustedInfo2024
- Simple, short, easy to read, accessible information on all voting options, so that voters can understand their options
- Links to information and demos of voting systems, so that voters can feel prepared to use their new knowledge
Election officials can use the site as a model for what information to include in their own voter information materials.
Whitney Quesenbery, Executive Director at the Center for Civic Design says, “We’ve heard from countless voters over the years that details like knowing in advance which accessible voting system you will use makes a difference. We hope that elections offices use this site as a model to update their own accessible voting pages, or create dedicated pages if they don’t have one yet.”
New in 2024, AccessibleVoting.net now hosts the National Coalition of Accessible Voting (NCAV) Voting Access Guide for Election Officials. The Guide provides information, recommendations, and checklists on accessibility for every stage of the voting process, from registering and gathering information on voting to casting a ballot. It helps election officials address barriers early in their planning process.
AccessibleVoting.net is a project of REV UP, Center for Civic Design, and Microsoft Democracy Forward & Accessibility. The Voter Access Guide for Election Officials is from the National Coalition for Accessible Voting (NCAV). Coforma built the site.
Visit AccessibleVoting.net for additional information.