Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
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.
DOJ
EAC Federal Voting Rights for Voters with Disabilities Card
The cards are available in Braille, large print, plan language, and with QR code
As a voter with a disability, you have the right to:
- Vote privately and independently
- Have an accessible polling place with voting machines for voters with disabilities
you may either:
- Seek assistance from workers at the polling place who have been trained to use the accessible voting machine, or
- 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 listen@eac.gov.
QR Code links to: https://www.eac.gov/QR/fedvtrights.html
EAC 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 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 Commemorate Legacy and Impact of HAVA on 16th Anniversary of Landmark Legislature
This year (2018) marked 16th anniversary of the signing of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) by President George W. Bush, watershed legislation that improved the accessibility and administration of Federal Elections and established the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to provide guidance and resources to election officials around the country.
EAC Election Management Guide, Accessibility Chapter
Every day, election officials work to make elections more accessible to the public. More than ever before, newly accessible voting machines have facilitated independent voting for voters with disabilities. This chapter includes information about voting in long-term care facilities with examples of ways to improve accessibility and to incorporate these good practices into all aspects of election administration.
EAC 2018 Annual Report, Accessibility Section
The Annual Report reports on what we have been up to during the course of a year. Read the Accessibility Section to learn how we have provided assistance to voters with disabilities in order to make elections more accessible.
U.S. Department of Justice
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.
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.
2018 Clearinghouse Winners for Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities:
Please stay tuned for the ’19 Clearies submission deadlines.
2017 Clearinghouse Winners for Accessibility for Voters 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.
- Glossaries of Election Terminology(opens in new tab)
- Glossary of Election Term Database(opens in new tab)
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.