The Accessible Voting Act
by RespectAbility staff
Take Action So Elections Are Accessible To Everyone!
Despite federal laws requiring accessible voting places and procedures, barriers persist for disabled people and older adults that prevent eligible voters from registering to vote and casting their ballot. A report by the Government Accountability Office revealed that only 17% of polling places were fully accessible in 2016. Another report to the Election Assistance Commission found that disabled voters in 2020 encountered barriers to voting at double the rate of people without disabilities.
Many older Americans and people with disabilities find it difficult to secure accessible and reliable transportation to polling places. It can be challenging, if not impossible, for disabled voters to wait in long lines to cast their ballot. And many disabled voters face communication barriers with election officials and poll workers. The Accessible Voting Act (AVA) would help close gaps in accessibility for voters with disabilities, providing guidance and resources so that accessible voting becomes a standard for everyone.
The AVA will:
Establish an Office of Accessibility within the Election Assistance Commission to support and oversee state efforts to expand voting accessibility and serve as an expert resource for advocates and voters.
Establish a National Voter Accessibility website, hosted by the Office of Accessibility, to provide information and technical assistance nationwide on voting accessibility, registering to vote, and casting a ballot.
Establish a National Resource Center on Accessible Voting that would provide cultural competency training to election officials and poll workers on how to create fully accessible polling places.
Provide money to states to maintain accessible websites that provide information about the voting process in ways all voters can understand, regardless of disability.
How can you help?
In our efforts to ensure that this bill passes through Congress, please contact your Senators and your Member of the House of Representatives to encourage them to sponsor the Accessible Voting Act. Every call and every voice make a difference!
You can call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be connected to your two Senators or Member of the House of Representatives, or you can use the links below to find their contact information.
Find the name and contact information for your Member of Congress
Find the name and contact information for your two U.S. Senators
House of Representatives Scripts
Here is a sample script you can use during your call to your Member of the House of Representatives.
“Hi, my name is FIRST AND LAST NAME. I’m calling from CITY, STATE. I’m calling to urge Congressman/Congresswoman LAST NAME OF REPRESNETATIVE to co-sponsor H.R. 7389, the Accessible Voting Act. People with disabilities experience barriers to voting. In 2020, people with disabilities encountered double the number of barriers as their non-disabled peers. Voting is a civil right, and I support every disabled person’s right to engage in the electoral process.”
You can also consider sharing an example of how you have encountered barriers to voting and the impact that interaction had on your community involvement.
If you want to email your representative, you can use this script:
Dear Rep. LAST NAME OF REPRESENTATIVE,
My name is FIRST AND LAST NAME. I’m writing from CITY, STATE. I’m writing to urge you to co-sponsor H.R. 7389, the Accessible Voting Act. Barriers to voting still exist for people with disabilities. In 2020, people with disabilities encountered barriers at double the rate of their non-disabled peers. The Accessible Voting Act will help to eliminate these barriers and provide much-needed resources and training so that people with disabilities can exercise their right to vote.
Sincerely,
FIRST AND LAST NAME
You can also consider sharing an example of how you encountered barriers to voting and how that interaction impacted your community involvement.
Senate Scripts
Here is a sample script you can use during your call to your Senator:
“Hi, my name is FIRST AND LAST NAME. I’m calling from CITY, STATE. I’m calling to urge Senator LAST NAME OF SENATOR to co-sponsor S. 3748, the Accessible Voting Act. People with disabilities experience barriers to voting. In 2020, people with disabilities encountered double the number of barriers as their non-disabled peers. Voting is a civil right, and I support every disabled person’s right to engage in the electoral process.”
You can also consider sharing an example of how you encountered barriers to voting and how that interaction impacted your community involvement.
Or, if you want to email your Senator, you can use this script:
Dear Senator LAST NAME,
My name is FIRST AND LAST NAME. I’m writing from CITY, STATE. I’m writing to urge you to co-sponsor S. 3748, the Accessible Voting Act. Barriers to voting still exist for people with disabilities. In 2020, people with disabilities encountered barriers at double the rate of their non-disabled peers. The Accessible Voting Act will help to eliminate these barriers and provide much-needed resources and training so that people with disabilities can exercise their right to vote.
Sincerely,
FIRST AND LAST NAME
You can also consider sharing an example of how you encountered barriers to voting and how that interaction impacted your community involvement.
This resource comes from RespectAbility.