Accessible Voting for Persons with Disabilities
Assistance with Voting
If you need assistance to vote due to a disability you have several options:
- Receive personal help at the polls during early voting or on Election Day. You do not have to reveal the nature or extent of your disability. You can choose anyone to help you except your employer or an agency of your employer or an officer or agency of your union. You can alternatively get the help of two members of the Supervisor of Elections staff. See section 101.051, Florida Statutes. You will have to fill out a declaration affirming that you need help unless you wrote on your voter registration application that you would need assistance at the polls. The clerk can help you fill out the form. In addition, the person you choose to help you will have to fill out a declaration (unless that person is election staff) saying he or she will provide help. If you have any questions about receiving help in voting, please ask the clerk or inspector at the polling place.
- Vote on an accessible marking device at the polls. Voting on an accessible marking device allows you to vote with little or no assistance and in secret. Federal and state laws require at least one accessible voting system to be in each polling place. Florida has certified accessible voting systems for use by persons with disabilities. The systems meet at least 12 major categories of accessibility standards. See 52 U.S.C. § 21081 (a)(3) of the Help America Vote Act and section 101.56062, Florida Statutes.
- Vote-by-mail from the comfort of your home. In addition, you can have anyone, other than your employer, agent of your employer or an officer or agent of your union, mark the choices for you or have the person assist you in marking your choices on the ballot. See section 101.661, Florida Statutes.
- Participate in supervised voting, if made available at your assisted living or nursing home facility. See section 101.655, Florida Statutes. You can also request that your vote-by-mail ballot be sent to you there.
- Receive a vote-by-mail ballot through an electronic ballot delivery and marking system, if available in your county. Such a system allows a person with disabilities to receive a ballot electronically upon request. The voter then has the option to print the ballot for manual or electronic marking, with or without compatible assistive devices or software. A voted ballot may only be returned in person or by mail. Voted ballots cannot be returned electronically.
Contact your county Supervisor of Elections for more information.
Polling Place Accessibility
Federal and state laws require all polling places to be accessible for voting. (Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984 (52 U.S.C. ch. 201) and section 101.715, Florida Statutes).
Voting Systems
For accessible voting systems used in your county, refer to chart (PDF / Excel). For more information and instructions on how to vote on accessible systems, please contact your county Supervisor of Elections.
Additional Resources
For more information about services for and the rights of persons with disabilities, please refer to the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Disability Rights Florida, and the U.S. Department of Justice's disability rights section.
