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Election Day: Voting with a Disability

Voting with a Disability theme image.

According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s (EAC) Disability and Voting Accessibility in the 2020 Elections study, people with disabilities voted at a 7% lower rate than people without disabilities. And about 1 in 9 voters with disabilities encountered difficulties voting – double the rate of people without disabilities.

“You have the right to receive assistance when you are voting, but a poll worker is not allowed to offer assistance – you have to ask for it.”

NCVOTER.ORG

At Unity, we develop inclusive and accessible WordPress websites for nonprofit organizations and impact-driven small businesses because we believe in building better communities. This year, we had the opportunity to partner with two organizations working in whole or in part to protect and improve elections, both across the U.S. and in our home state of North Carolina.

Know Your Rights

The NCVoter.org website shown on an assortment of devices - desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone.Most recently, we partnered with Democracy NC to redesign NCVoter.org, a nonpartisan resource for North Carolina voters to access information about what’s on the ballot, how and when to register, where to vote, and an extensive list of FAQs.

NCVoter.org shares what voters with disabilities can do on or before election day:

  • Ask for assistance from any person of their choice in order to complete their ballot, as long as that person isn’t affiliated with their employer or union.
  • Cast their ballot curbside without leaving their car.
  • Contact their county board of elections to inquire about the accessibility of their assigned polling place, and request another permanent polling place if theirs is inaccessible.

In federal elections, every polling place must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility requirements, and election officials must make reasonable accommodations to help voters with disabilities.


2022 Web Awards

We’re thrilled that we were recognized with Web Awards for our work creating accessible websites for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and American Promise – both organizations dedicated to improving election integrity.

Best Advocacy Website

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) is making voting more accessible to communities of color by eliminating barriers, such as photo ID requirements, early voting restrictions, and unfair redistricting processes. SCSJ advocates for automatic, online, and same-day voter registration options, as well as language translation for non-native English-speaking voters.

Best Advocacy Website Award

Best Political Website

American Promise is making politics more equitable by uniting Americans to pass the For Our Freedom Amendment, which will protect American elections from foreign interference and unequal influence of big-money donors.

Best Political Website Award


Voting Resources

The ACLU recommends several resources for voters with disabilities, including:

  • Your Vote Counts: A Self-Advocate’s Guide to Voting in the U.S.
  • Sign Vote, for voting information in American Sign Language.
  • Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) GoVoter training.
  • The Election Protection Hotline:
    • English: 1-866-OUR-VOTE / 1-866-687-8683
    • Spanish: 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA / 1-888-839-8682
    • Arabic: 1-844-YALLA-US / 1-844-925-5287
    • Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, or Vietnamese: 1-888-274-8683