Quick Start Accessibility

8/16/2019 Quick Start Accessibility

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A CCESSIBILITY APRIL 2010


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T h e Q u i c k

S t a r t M a n a g e m e n t G

u i d e o n A c c e s s i b i l i t

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The Quick Start Management Guide on

Accessibility is part of a series of brochuresdesigned to highlight and summarize theinformation contained in the chapters ofthe U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s

(EAC) Election Management Guidelines(EMG). The goal of the EMG is to providea collection of administrative practices,consolidated into one document, to assistState and local election officials toeffectively manage and administer elections.

These guidelines are designed solely toserve as a source of information for electionofficials. However, due to the need forelection management resources, QuickStarts are released as they are completed.

The content of the EMG and the Quick StartManagement Guides has been developedin collaboration with Federal agenciesand disability organizations, as well asState and local election officials and otherelection professionals who have first-hand

experience managing elections. The EAC isgrateful for their participation to ensure thatthe guidelines are practical and applicablefor jurisdictions regardless of their size andresources. The EMG and the Quick Startsare available online at www.eac.gov.

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Introduction

• Election officials work each day to make elections more accessible to the

public. Voting systems with improved

accessibility have facilitatedindependent voting for some voterswith disabilities for the first time intheir lives. The added focus on makingpolling places accessible also servesto help people with disabilities to vote

independently on Election Day.• 1 in 5 people in the U.S. has a

disability. “Disability” is defined bythe Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) as a physical or mentalimpairment that substantially limits

one or more major life activities, arecord of such an impairment, orbeing regarded as having such animpairment.

– Over half of all people who have a

physical disability are hard ofhearing.

• Some disabilities are easily perceptible(e.g. persons in wheelchairs or who useassistance animals). However, manypeople with disabilities do not exhibit

easily observable manifestations suchas canes, guide dogs, or the use of signlanguage. Therefore, individuals whointeract with the public should beperceptive and try to anticipate theneeds of people who may requireassistance.

• People can experience disabilitiesrelating to hearing, speech, vision,dexterity, mobility, or cognition. Otherpopulations include those with

environmental sensitivities to substances, such as perfumes and air

fresheners. Disabilities can range frommild to severe.

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• “Accessibility” is a term that refers to the removal of barriers that make it difficult or impossible for some

people with disabilities to usesomething. It can refer to the

physical environment (e.g., the pollingplace) or to technology (e.g.,thevoting systems.) Working to improveaccessibility for persons withdisabilities supports increasedinvolvement in the electoral process.

• There are many laws that aredesigned to assist people withdisabilities. Federal laws including the

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA)

cover accessibility issues such as thephysical polling place, the votingactivity, and the voting systems. Statelaws may also be helpful. For example,some State laws governinginformation technology help to ensure

that elections offices websites areaccessible to persons with disabilities.

• Accessibility covers all aspects ofrunning an elections office –registering to vote, accessing awebsite, recruiting and training poll

workers, entering a polling place, andcasting a secret ballot. Accessibilityneeds are far-reaching, and have beenaddressed by the EAC in several otherQuick Start Guides. They are “PollingPlaces and Vote Centers;” “Ballot

Preparation/Printing and Pre-ElectionTesting;” “Poll Workers;”“Absentee

Voting and Vote by Mail;” “Media andPublic Relations;” and, “Serving

Voters in Long-Term Care Facilities.”

• The Quick Start on Accessibilityprovides many examples of ways toimprove accessibility and to

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incorporate these practices into allaspects of election administration.

Managing an Accessible

Elections Office

Staff and Poll Worker Training

• Review all training material for fulland part-time staff and poll workers.Ensure that it includes accessibilitytraining.

• Example training videos include:

– Oregon’s Assisting Voters with Disabilities Training Video

(http://www.sos.state.or.us/ elections/HAVA/avwdcaptions. wmv)

– North Carolina’s State Board ofElections Accessibility Videos(http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/

content aspx?id=57)

• Voters may not be aware of availableaccommodations for persons withdisabilities. Because of this, pollworkers and elections office staffshould be trained to notice disabilitiesand to offer to help.

– For example, a voter may reportdifficulty seeing where to sign-inat the check-in table. A poll workertrained to identify voters who arevisually impaired might offer a

magnifying glass for the signaturesheet. Such an offer could alsoserve as an opportunity to provideinformation about voting systemswith screen magnification options.

Tip: It is best to face people when talking

to them as opposed to speaking while

looking down at the poll book.

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• Understanding a few tips in disabilityetiquette may help an election official

to interact more effectively. Basicsinclude: not making assumptions,asking before helping, and being

sensitive about physical contact. It isbetter, for example, to offer an armwhen leading someone who is blindto a voting station, rather thangrabbing their arm and pulling them.Service animals, such as guide dogs,

are allowed in the polling place and itis not appropriate to pet them whilethey are working. Disability etiquettepublications with further informationcan be viewed freely on the Internetand make informative inserts in a poll

worker training package.

Accountability

• Discuss appointing a staff member in the elections office with responsibility

for improving accessibility duringelection administration.

• Encourage advance development of aprocedure for handling accessibilitycomplaints or inquiries.

• Prepare information and instructions

for voters with disabilities about theprocesses to register to vote and forusing the accessibility features ofvoting systems.

Disability Outreach

• Review all printed material availableto the public and offer it in alternativeformats. For example, some

jurisdictions provide large printexample ballots at the polls. If adocument can be made available

electronically on a website, then itcan be reviewed by voters beforethey go to the polling place. Consider

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providing materials in large print andaudio versions.

• Create a partnership between Stateand local jurisdictions and disabilitynonprofit groups to pool resources to

develop accessibility solutions. Frompoll worker accessibility training tochecklists for inspecting pollingplaces, there are many resourcesalready available. Most of these canbe tailored to fit the needs of justabout any jurisdiction.

Tip: Consider establishing an Accessibility

Advisory Board within the jurisdiction.

Schedule regular meetings to solicit input

and to gather suggestions and ideas about

how to make the voting process and polling places more accessible to individuals with

disabilities.

• Outreach to Voters

– Election officials might consider

developing an outreach plan toraise awareness among voterswith disabilities about accessiblepolling places and the accessibleelections program in the

jurisdiction.

– The outreach might include the following:

n Do voters with disabilitiesknow how to…

• Register to vote;

• Use the accessible votingsystem?

n Do voters with disabilitiesknow about various availableaccommodations such as…

• Information in large print onpaper;

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• The documents and otherinformation viewable inadvance on an electionswebsite;

n

Do voters with disabilities knowwhom to contact if they have aproblem?

• Outreach to Government

– Most States have a Governor’s

Commission on Disability thatadvises the State on disabilities issues.

– Many counties also have localcommissions that focus onimproving access to government

for individuals with disabilities.These organizations may helplocal election officials reach thoseindividuals in the community whomight need information on thevarious accessibility

accommodations.

• Outreach to Nonprofits

– Reach out to the disability communityfor assistance in circulating voterregistration information and voting

materials and for poll workerrecruitment. Organizations in thecommunity can assist electionofficials in providing information totheir constituents.

– Disability organizations may be ableto help locate individuals withdisabilities or accessibility expertise

to help evaluate voting systems aspart of State or local procurementprocesses.

Tip: When purchasing new voting

equipment, reach out to the disabilities

community to participate in the selection of

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the equipment. Continue to use them as a

resource for ballot design and testing of the

audio ballot.

• Experienced staff of disability

organizations may be able to review draft documents from an accessibilityperspective. Such materials mightinclude marketing materials,emergency evacuation procedures,voting instructions (including for audio

ballots) and/or public serviceannouncements.

• Disability organizations may welcomean invitation to help present acomponent of poll worker training on

sensitivity to disability issues.

Information and Communications

Technology

• Technology related to electionadministration includes telephones,websites, voting systems, andelectronic documents (such as anonline voter registration application).

• Internet accessibility evaluation toolsare software programs or online

services that help determine if a

website meets commonly acceptedaccessibility standards and guidelines.While Internet accessibility evaluationtools can significantly reduce the timeand effort to evaluate websites, no toolcan automatically determine the

accessibility of a website. Some ofthese tools can be used in combinationto address specific aspects of theevaluation process. Many, but not all,of those software companies charge afee for their tool.

– A list of Web Accessibility EvaluationTools can be found at the website of

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the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative:http://www.w3.org/WAI/RC/tools/

– When posting information to awebsite, it may be easiest to

provide accessible materials in aword processor-formatted document or in HTML. These

formats are more easily read by atext-to-audio screen reader foruse by an individual with

impaired vision.Tip: Consider using alt-tags for pictures,

graphics, table and graphs.

Tip: To make websites more accessible,

website designers may use the Electronic

and Information Technology AccessibilityStandards issued by the U.S. Access

Board and Web Content Accessibility

Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) developed by the

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative. Web

designers sometimes use web accessibility

tools to make their jobs easier.

Providing an Accessible Voting Experience

Accessibility of the Physical

Environment (Polling Place) • Election officials should review the

ADA Checklist for Polling Places(http://www.ada.gov/votingprt.pdf)prepared by the U.S. Department ofJustice, Civil Rights Division,

Disability Rights Section.

• Election officials should consider theimpact all of the following can haveon accessibility (See Quick Start Guideand EMG chapter on “Polling Place and

Vote Center Management”):

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– Parking

– Passenger Drop-Off Areas

– Sidewalks and Walkways

– Building Entrances – Hallways and Corridors

– Voting Area

– Ramps

– Curbside Voting • Election officials should consider the

accessibility of alternate entrancesthat voters may use to reach thepolling place.

Programmatic Accommodations • Look for inexpensive, tangible solutions,

such as providing a chair for individualswho have difficulty standing in a line atthe polling place or posting votinginstructions in large print.

• Intangible accommodations might meanproviding assistance to a voter as he orshe completes the ballot, if requested.

• Acoustics

– Loud environments can increasethe stress level for everyone, but itis especially challenging for peoplewho are hard of hearing. In addition,people who must depend onhearing an audible ballot may need

the accessible voting systemplaced in a quiet area.

• One polling place creatively addressed this by placing the voting system on an accessible stage that was isolated by

curtains.

• The use of inexpensive portableassistive listening devices(approximately $120-$180) may help


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voters and poll workers with hearingloss to understand speech in noisy

situations.

Tip: Simple solutions can reduce echo and

audio reflection, such as cloth table covers,framing and draperies, rugs on the floor, etc.

Accessibility of Voting Systems

• Most voting systems have someaccessibility.

• Poll workers should describeaccessible voting systems in amanner that encourages people to use

them.

• Persons with disabilities use a variety

of assistive technologies to addressvision, hearing, mobility, dexterity,memory, reading and other functional

limitations. These individuals are allowed to bring necessary assistive

technology (e.g., hearing aids,

neckloops, mobility aids, switches,and magnifiers) into the polling location

and are encouraged to use assistive technology to supplement the accessibility tools available as part of a voting system.

Long-Term Care Facilities and

Mobile Polling

• Develop an outreach program targeted to nursing homes and long-term care facilities. (See Quick Start Guide on

“Serving Voters in Long-Term CareFacilities”)

• Mobile polling involves election officials bringing ballots to convenient and

accessible locations, such as long-

term care facilities, and skilled, non- partisan election workers providingassistance to voters upon request and

– where permitted – to register voters.


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Poll Workers

• Recruitment

– Recruit individuals with disabilitiesto fill the job of poll worker.Remember that the presence of apoll worker with disabilities maymake voters with disabilities morecomfortable in the polling placeand more receptive to offers ofassistance.

Example: In jurisdictions with a large deaf

population, recruit poll workers who are

trained in sign language.

– Reach out to community groups

that represent the disabilitycommunity.

– Assign at least one poll worker in each polling place with

responsibility for assuring that allavailable accessibility aids are

present in the polling place andresponding to voters and pollworkers with disabilities.

• Ideas for improving conditions for poll workers with disabilities

– Split Shifts – Some poll workerswith disabilities would benefit

from having this option.

– Do not forget about theenvironmental sensitivities of

the voters and poll workers. – Provide grip tools and magnifying

strips.

– See the EAC’s SuccessfulPractices for Poll Worker

Recruitment, Training, andRetention available athttp://www.eac.gov

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Tip: Ask poll workers to complete a

questionnaire following every election to

determine additional needs and to also

provide ideas and solutions for addressing

accessibility needs on Election Day.

Accessibility Resources

American Association of People with

Disabilities

http://www.aapd.com

American Bar Association Commissionon Law and Aging Voting and Cognitive

Impairments

http://new.abanet.org/aging/Pages/

voting.aspx

Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs)

http://www.votingaccess.org/

The Election Center

http://www.electioncenter.org

National Federation for the Blind

(Nonvisual Election Technology)

http://www.nfb.org/nfb/HAVA_intro.asp

National Institute of Standards and

Technology

http://vote.nist.gov

United States Access Board

http://www.access-board.gov

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

http://www.w3.org/WAI/

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For information regarding this publication or to

request additional copies at no cost, please contact:

Address

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300Washington, DC 20005

Attn: Election Management Guidelines

Telephone

(202) 566-3100

(866) 747-1471 (toll free)

Fax

(202) 566-3127

E-mail Address

[email protected]

Website

www.eac.gov

The EAC is an independent bipartisan commission created bythe Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). It is charged withadministering payments to states and developing guidance to

meet HAVA requirements, implementing election administrationimprovements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines,accrediting voting system test laboratories and certifying votingequipment and serving as a national clearinghouse and resourceof information regarding election administration.

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Documents

Quick Start Accessibility