[blindlaw] Voter Registration forms not accessible to the blind.

[Blake, Lou Ann]

The National Mail Voter Registration Form is an accessible PDF that may be completed online, printed, and mailed to your state or local board of elections. The form may be used for all stated and territories and it includes instructions on how to complete the form and where to send it. The form may be found on the United States Election Assistance Commissions Web site at: http://www.eac.gov/voter_resources/register_to_vote.aspx. It is available in Spanish and English.

Many states do have their voter registration form available as an accessible PDF on their state board of election's Web site. But if your state is not one of these, you can use the National Mail Voter Registration Form.

The National Voter Registration Act allows states to register voters when they apply for a state-issued identification card, as well as a state-issue driver's license.


Lou Ann Blake, J.D.
HAVA Project Manager and Law Symposium Coordinator
Jernigan Institute
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
200 East Wells Street
    at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230
Telephone: (410) 659-9314, ext. 2221
Fax: (410) 659-5129
E-mail: lblake at nfb.org
Web site: www.nfb.org
 

Text the word BLIND to 85944 to donate $10 to the NFB Imagination Fund via your phone bill.


-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of James Pepper
Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2012 7:59 PM
To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
Subject: [blindlaw] Voter Registration forms not accessible to the blind.

The State of Washington's election officer who is in charge of all voting for the state responded to an inquiry on the accessibility of the Voter Registration form with the following statement in writing:
"Remember, too, that federal law requires that voters be able to vote independently; the capability to complete registration applications independently is a desirable goal, but not a legal requirement at this time."

I thought they were required to make voter registration forms accessible to the blind, in every major civil rights bill since the Voting Rights Act.
 Also the Election officer at the State of Arkansas said over the phone that the blind can register to vote when they get their drivers licenses.

James Pepper
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