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Most voting systems are inaccessible for people with disabilities, says the National Organization on Disability's voting access project. People with disabilities cannot cast a secret ballot with most of these systems.
According to NOD,
The Trace Center, a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, has worked with manufacturers of voting machines to develop accessible voting systems.
Read more on the Trace Center's voting technology
EXPERTS:
Kay Schriner and Douglas Kruse have conducted a number of studies about voting access and persons with disabilities.
Douglas Kruse, School of Management and Labor Relations
"Voters with disabilities face discrimination nationwide,"
A report in the November/December 2000 issue of Ragged Edge magazine
The Trace Research & Development Center's efforts to make electronic voting machines easier to use for the average citizen, our aging population and people with disabilities can be found at http://trace.wisc.edu/world/kiosks/ez/voting/
The National Organization on Disability's "Getting Out The Disability Vote" campaign has background and commentary http://www.nod.org/vote2000/vote2000.html
Punch card ballots are particularly difficult for people who have vision impairments, arm or hand mobility impairments. In most elections approximately 2% of all ballots are discarded due to voter error.
Kay Schriner, Ph.D., Department of Political Science
University of Arkansas
501-575-6417 (direct)
501-575-3356 (reception)
kays@comp.uark.edu
Rutgers University
732-445-5991
dkruse@rci.rutgers.edu
The Trace R&D Center was formed in 1971 to address the communication needs of people who are nonspeaking and have severe disabilities. Its director is
Gregg Vanderheiden.
Gregg Vanderheiden
Trace Research and Development Center
(608) 263-2309
info@trace.wisc.edu
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST:
The following sites contain information that may be of interest. Please bear in mind that the information at these sites is not controlled by the Center for An Accessible society. Links to these sites do not imply that the Center supports either the organizations or the views presented.
The Project on Disability Politics at the University of Arkansas looks at political participation of people with disabilities, voting rights laws affecting people with disabilities and disability in American campaigns and elections.
Overview
Election reform legislation and access
Voting in America -- commentary
Polling sites remain inaccessible
- GAO Report details lack of access
- Disabled voters sue Florida
- Disabled voters sue DC
- Disabled voters sue CA
Studies: