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. | 
