EAC - Voluntary Voting System Guidelines

Name : | Patricia Nielsen
Organization : | Disability and Communication Access Board
Post Date : | 9/29/2005
Section Comments
Section : | 6.8
Page no. : |
Line no.: |
Comment : | Regarding: U.S. Election Assistance Commission's Voluntary Voting Guidelines Proposed Changes The Disability and Communication Access Board (DCAB) supports the United States Election Assistance Commission's (EAC) proposed changes to the Voluntary Voting Guidelines, which supports full voter inclusion and higher standards of accessibility in the voting process. The proposed guidelines include detailed provisions to enhance accessibility for voters with disabilities, especially for people with visual and mobility needs. Important issues where addressed, such as, how to meet voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) requirements while ensuring privacy and independence for votes with visual impairments. The focus of the proposed guideline changes makes an important impact because it is applied throughout the process, from the vendors’ product design to the official program implementation stage. This version of voting guidelines is one of the most accessibility-centered versions. If states were to implement the "ideal" situation as described in the guidelines, then all voting stations would be accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. For example, the guidelines suggest that all voting stations be accessible to people with visual impairments. For Hawaii, the most important portion of the guidelines covers the VVPAT requirements. Act 200 was signed into law during the 2005 State Legislature of Hawaii. It contained a VVPAT requirement, but was silent on how to meet this requirement for voters with visual impairments. The EAC guidelines allow for alternative forms of verification, i.e., the use of audio verification for those with visual impairments. The EAC guideline provisions for VVPAT would assist the State of Hawaii in complying with Act 200 while allowing for accessibility for voters with visual impairments.