Secret and Independent Ballot

Inaccessible polling places are one of the barriers people with disabilities face on Election Day. Another barrier faced by many people with disabilities is that they are not able to cast a secret and independent ballot. People who are blind or who have visual impairments often need polling place volunteers or friends or relatives to assist them in voting. The same can be said for people with cognitive or other disabilities.

The Verified Voting Foundation has developed a comparison guide of the commonly used and proposed voting mechanisms in this country and assessed each of them in terms of its accessibility for people with disabilities. The U.S. General Accounting Office issued a report recently on access to polling places and alternative voting methods. It gives many recommendations for Congress to consider when developing new voting legislation