The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 was passed by the United States Congress to make sweeping reforms to the nation's voting process. HAVA addresses improvements to voting systems and voter access that were identified following the 2000 election. Read the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and learn more about HAVA on the Department of Justice website.
EAC and Rutgers Study on Disability and Voting Accessibility in the 2020 Elections
The EAC’s “Disability and Voting Accessibility in the 2020 Elections” study has been completed under the clearinghouse and research mandates outlined in the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). The study aimed to analyze the 2020 election experience for voters with disabilities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Building on a similar EAC study conducted in 2012, the EAC collaborated with a team of experienced researchers from Rutgers University and launched the project immediately after the 2020 general election.
- Disability and Voting Accessibility in the 2020 Elections (PDF version link)
- Disability and Voting Accessibility in the 2020 Elections (Word version link)
- Study Fact Sheet (PDF version link)
- Roundtable Discussion
2020 Clearie Winners for Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities
- Iowa Secretary of State
- Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (CA)
- West Virginia Secretary of State
- Wisconsin Elections Commission
Tips for Empowering Voters with Disabilities in the 2020 General Election and COVID-19 Crisis
State and local officials have spared no effort to address the challenges of COVID-19 and extraordinary progress has been made to protect the safety of both voters with disabilities and poll workers. A number of states have adopted new accessible technology to provide remote options for voters with disabilities. Now more than twenty states and the District of Columbia offer electronic ballot delivery. As new election procedures are implemented in the states and localities, this document provides recommendations on meeting accessibility requirements.
EAC "Your Federal Voting Rights" Braille Card
As a Voter with a Disability, you have the right to:
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Vote privately and independently
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Have an accessible polling place with voting machines for voters with disabilities
you may either:
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Seek assistance from workers at the polling place who have been trained to use the accessible voting machine, or
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Bring someone to help you vote
You may request your local election officials to tell you about any voting aids, voting assistance, and absentee ballot procedures that are available.
Ensure your right to accessible elections. For more information, contact the U.S. Election Assistance Commission By phone at 866-747-1471 or by email at clearinghouse@eac.gov.
QR Code links to: https://www.eac.gov/QR/fedvtrights.aspx
The EAC has distributed more than 25,000 Braille Voting Rights cards over the past two years. To request, please email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
EAC Voting Accessibility Fact Sheet:
How the U.S. Election Assistance Commission Empowers Voters with Disabilities and the Election Officials who Serve Them
More than 35 million Americans with disabilities are eligible to vote in the United States. This accounts for a broad range of disabilities, including mobility, communicative, physical and cognitive impairments. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) has a strong commitment to working with both election officials and voters with disabilities to ensure that the election process, polling places and voting services are accessible.
EAC Commissioners' Joint Statements on Celebrating the ADA
Resources for Voters with Disabilities
This comprehensive list of resources for voters with disabilities includes links to voting accessibility laws and regulations and the latest best practices and research pertaining to voters with disabilities and elderly voters.
2019 Clearie Winners for Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities:
2018 Clearie Winners for Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities:
Iowa Secretary of State
Martin County, Florida
Contra Costa County, California
2017 Clearie Winners for Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities
Washington Secretary of State Office
El Paso County
Disability Rights Texas and Collin County Democrats with Disabilities
EAC Language Accessibility Resources
As mandated by the Help America Vote Act, the EAC Language Accessibility Program studies and promotes accessibility in voting, registration, polling places and voting equipment. The materials we issue are the product of collaboration among working groups comprising election officials, advocacy groups and research and public policy organizations.
The EAC's Language Accessibility Program has developed Glossaries of Election Terminology, Voter's Guides to Federal Elections and the National Mail Voter Registration Form. These resources are important in helping election officials provide translated voting materials at a lower cost.
1. Glossary of Election Terminology
Our glossaries are available in six languages: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. The glossaries contain 1,843 terms and phrases used in the administration of elections in the United States. To ensure the translations were culturally and linguistically appropriate, terms were translated and reviewed by a multi-dialect team of translators representing the main regions of each language. For example, the Spanish to English Glossary was produced by teams represented from four of the main regions of origin of the Hispanic population living in the U.S: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Central America.
2. Voter's Guide to Federal Elections
Our voter's guide is available in eleven languages: Cherokee, Chinese, Dakota, English, Japanese, Korean, Navajo, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Yupik. It is designed to help voters successfully navigate the federal elections process, from registering to vote to casting a ballot on Election Day. In addition to the basics of ballot-casting, it also includes information on eligibility and early voting, as well as the registration and voting process for military and civilians living abroad, and polling place services that make voting more accessible.
3. Translating the National Mail Voter Registration Form
EAC has translated the National Mail Voter Registration form into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese. The links below contain additional information about this work.
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National Mail Voter Registration Forms in the Election Resource Library
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Translations of NVRA Form - Technical Study Commissioned by EAC
EAC Commemorates the ADA by Hearing How to Make Voting More Accessible for Individuals with Disabilities
Commissioners met July 28, 2015 to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of ADA and explore ways to make voting more accessible for individuals with disabilities.
Commissioners heard testimony from accessibility advocates, experts, and individuals with disabilities regarding the progress made to ensure HAVA’s requirement that individuals with disabilities be given the same opportunity to vote freely and independently as other voters.
Accessible Voting Technology Initiative
The EAC’s Accessible Voting Technology Initiative (AVTI) supports accessibility research on transformative technologies and approaches.
Through the AVTI, the EAC has produced over 45 solutions for assisting voters with disabilities. The initiatives include the EAC’s Military Heroes grant to provide assistance needed for recently injured military personnel to participate in elections.