Accessible Voting Act: Expanding Election Access for Disabled and Older Citizens.
This Act introduces comprehensive changes to remove voting barriers for individuals with disabilities, older individuals, and linguistic minorities. Citizens are guaranteed access to fully accessible election websites, mandatory no-excuse absentee voting, and stronger protections for in-person voting rights. State authorities will be authorized to receive funding to modernize election systems and train staff to ensure private and independent voting for all.
Key points
New Accessibility Office: A dedicated Office of Accessibility is established within the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to oversee and support national accessibility standards.
Mandatory No-Excuse Absentee Voting: All states must allow every eligible voter to request and cast an absentee ballot without needing to provide an excuse.
Fully Accessible Websites: States must create and maintain election websites that are fully accessible to individuals with disabilities and older individuals (meeting WCAG 2.0 AA standards).
Guardianship Voting Rights Protection: Individuals under guardianship cannot be denied the right to vote unless a court finds clear and convincing evidence they cannot communicate a desire to participate in the voting process.
Polling Place Accessibility: All polling places and ballot drop boxes must be fully accessible, and states must consider options like expedited lines or curbside voting to address long wait times.
Funding for Modernization: The Act authorizes the appropriation of $300 million between 2025 and 2030 for states to implement these new accessibility requirements.
Expired
Citizen Poll