When early voting began last week, Ken Mitchell stood in a short line at the C.T. Martin Natatorium and Recreation Center in Atlanta. Blind and using a cane, he could have bypassed the line as a voter with a disability.
Standing in line for long stretches and using typical voting machines to cast a ballot can be difficult for seniors and voters who have disabilities. For that reason, state and federal accessibility laws require that polling locations offer options to ease the experience for those who need help voting.
For example, voters who are at least 75 years old or who have a disability and require assistance to vote are allowed to take the next available voting compartment or booth without having to wait in line, according to Georgia law.
The 70-year-old Mitchell had no trouble waiting. When it was his turn, a poll worker guided him to a designated voting machine for people with disabilities. Mitchell donned headphones to listen to the voting instructions and used raised computer buttons for volume, speed and directional arrows to move around an electronic device he couldn’t see. He marked candidate selections with a button that feels like the letter X.
Mitchell said he could have voted at home through an absentee ballot, but someone would have to read him the ballot. “I want to do this as independently as possible, so I have to do it in person.”
Like Mitchell, voters with disabilities have a range of accessibility devices to help them cast their ballot, including a hand-held controller, raised buttons of different shapes and colors and large or Braille numbers and letters. Polling places also are equipped with technology to make it easier for people using hearing aids, among other accommodations.
Voters can gain assistance if they are unable to sign their name, see or mark the ballot, operate the voting equipment or enter the voting booth without assistance, according to the Georgia Secretary of State. “When you arrive, you must give the poll worker the name of the person assisting you or write it on your voter certificate.”
Voters with limited vision can also use an app on their phone to read their ballot before they cast it.
Every polling place in Georgia has at least one touchscreen voting machine that can accommodate voters sitting in a chair or wheelchair. Every touchscreen voting machine also has a magnifying feature that can enlarge the print on the ballot for easier reading.
Voters can bring a service animal for support or someone to help them vote, though to protect impartiality and privacy it can’t be an employer or union representative, according to federal laws.
Voters can also expect to find these accessibility provisions at their voting sites:
- Handrails on all stairs
- Accessible parking places
- Entrances and doorways at the voting location that are at least 32 inches wide
- Wheelchair-accessible voting locations, both inside and outside
- Poll workers to help you use accessible voting devices
Contact the Secretary of State’s election division before Election Day on Nov. 5 to confirm if a voting location has the accessibility accommodations needed. “Be clear about what you need to make voting easy for you,” according to the federal vote.gov guide to voting with a disability.
Accessibility laws also apply to those who speak a language other than English. Voters may be able to request a ballot in their native language, vote.gov states.
If a voting location isn’t accessible to you, vote.gov recommends you ask your election office about alternatives.
For more information about voting with a disability, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission offers a comprehensive list of resources with links to organizations representing groups such as Americans who are aging or have mental health disorders.
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