Some people are concerned that requirements for voter-verified paper records may delay implementation of the Help America Vote Act's (HAVA) provisions for accessible voting systems. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Equipment exists today offering both accessible and auditable voting for all voters; it is not necessary to choose between the two.

Not all accessible equipment is created equal, however. Some systems offer a wider range of options. Some offer accessible features on all units, while others provide those features only when required. Demonstrations of auditable and accessible voting equipment have taken place from New Jersey to Oregon in recent months. Some vendors have worked with accessibility advocates to develop cross-disability access and broaden the range of available features and options.

The first chart below summarizes which accessibility and verifiability categories each voting technology model makes available. The accessibility categories on the first chart link to separate charts showing more specific accessibility features for each accessibility category, with links on many items leading to further information.

Overview Chart:

[print all charts] [print this chart] [key] [footnotes] [accessibility] [accessibility research] [overview]

Key to Overview Chart:

A. "Vision" = The voting process shall be accessible to voters with visual disabilities, including partial vision, poor vision, color blindness, and blindness.¹²

B. "Dexterity" = The voting process shall be accessible to voters who lack fine motor control or the use of their hands. All keys and controls should be operable with one hand and not require strong grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist.¹³

C. "Mobility" = The voting process shall be accessible to voters who use mobility aids, including wheelchairs. All controls should be within reach of the voter.¹⁴

D. "Hearing" = The voting process shall be accessible to voters with hearing disabilities, providing both audio and visual cues to the voter. Also no voting station will require speech for its operation.¹⁵

E. "Cognitive" = The voting process shall be accessible to voters with cognitive disabilities. All voters should be able to negotiate the process effectively, efficiently, and comfortably.¹⁶

F. "All Units Accessible" reflects whether the accessibility features are on each unit, or whether they are optional add-ons.

G. "VVPR on All?" indicates whether the voter-verified paper record audit feature is available as part of every device, or whether it is an optional add-on.

Footnotes for Overview Chart:

1. http://www.accupoll.com/TheAccuPollAdvantage/Brochures/accessibility.pdf

2. http://www.essvote.com/HTML/docs/AutoMark.pdf (Note: Some people maintain that ballot-marking devices are not accessible to mobility-impaired individuals and dexterity-impaired individuals because many of them are not able to move the paper ballot from the ballot-marking device to a secure ballot box. However, the AutoMARK ballot-marking device can release the marked ballot into a privacy sleeve (mirror) to maintain the secrecy of the vote during handling by a poll worker. A voter may also request a "visually impaired ballot" which has no plain text on it (Lou Dedier of Automark, San Francisco mock election, August 10, 2005). Many dexterity-impaired individuals use a gripper jaw to move paper ballots. Volume 1, Section 2.2.7.2.2.5, of the Election Assistance Commission's draft Voluntary Voting System Guidelines, states that voting technology vendors should make provisions for voters who are blind to submit the ballot themselves without the help of an election administrator.)

3. http://www.vote-trakker.com/White%20Papers/ACCESSIBILE%20VOTING%20with%20voter%20 verifiable%20paper%20records%20in%20DRE%20Voting%20System.pdf and http://www.vote-trakker.com/accessible_optical_voting.html

4. http://www.vote-trakker.com/White%20Papers/fullfaceballottouchscreensystem.pdf and http://www.vote-trakker.com/accessible_optical_voting.html

5. http://www6.diebold.com/dieboldes/accuvote_ts.htm

6. http://www6.diebold.com/dieboldes/accuvote_tsx.htm

7. http://www.essvote.com/HTML/docs/iVotronic.pdf

8. http://www.essvote.com/HTML/docs/ESS_iVotronic_LS.pdf

9. http://www.hartintercivic.com/files/accessible_DLA_12_rev.pdf

10. http://www.populex.com/DPB_Intro.htm

11. http://www.sequoiavote.com/docs/AVCEdge.pdf

12. http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/downloads/v1s2.pdf pp.16-18

13. http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/downloads/v1s2.pdf p.25

14. http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/downloads/v1s2.pdf p.26

15. http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/downloads/v1s2.pdf p.30

16. http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/downloads/v1s2.pdf pp.30,34

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Verified Voting Foundation interns Jason Kim and Sarah Glaubman for the research required to prepare these charts.