[NFB-Utah] Accessible voting in June 30 primary

[nfbutah at gmail.com]

Fellow Federationists and Friends of the NFB of Utah!

 

The upcoming June 30th primary election is fast approaching and the deadline to register at vote.utah.gov <http://vote.utah.gov>  is June 19th at 5pm. The Disability Law Center has gathered the below information for every county clerk office in Utah. If anyone encounters any difficulty voting in the primary election, please let me know by calling me at 801-631-8108 or email me at nfbutah at gmail.com <mailto:nfbutah at gmail.com> 

Remember, voting independently and privately is your right and the NFB of Utah has worked hard on our behalf. 

 

 

 

Utah Primary Election 2020

 

This document reviews information that the Disability Law Center has gathered about accessible voting options for people with disabilities for the June 2020 Primary.   It is current as of June 12, 2020.  Please note that additional information may become available after this date or election options may evolve in response to changing public health and safety conditions.  If you have questions about voting or feel a voting accommodation offered you is inadequate, please feel free to contact the Disability Law Center at:  (801) 363-1347.  You may also e-mail our voting team directly at: voting at disabilitylawcenter.org <mailto:voting at disabilitylawcenter.org> .

 

Because of COVID-19, the Legislature amended the election laws for this Primary Election to ensure safer voting.  As a result, the following changes apply to this election: 

*	In-person voting at Early Voting and Election Day Vote Centers is eliminated for the June 30th Primary Election.

*	Same-day registration is eliminated so individuals may not register and vote provisionally on Election Day. The deadline to register to vote, update an address, or change party affiliation is June 19th at 5:00 p.m.  

Something that hasn’t changed is that voters for which a mailed paper ballot is not an accessible format, still retain the right to accommodations so that they may vote privately and independently.  New legislation for this election requires each county to inform voters about their right to receive accommodations for a disability and how to access them.  This information must be included on their website, in public notices and with mailed ballots.

In many areas, the Republicans are the only political party with a Primary Election ballot.  Therefore, only voters who are registered Republicans will receive a ballot.  There are a few areas where the Democratic Party has a Primary Election race as well.   In most areas, ballots are being sent out now.  If you decide to complete the ballot mailed to you, please be aware that it must be post-marked by June 30th.   It is always a good idea to complete it and mail it early.  Most counties have drop box locations where you can leave your ballot without sending it through the postal service.  One little known fact is, “No Stamp, No Problem”.   If you send your ballot in the mail, the postal service is obligated to deliver it with or without a stamp.  The county clerk’s office will pay the postage cost for ballots mailed without a stamp.

The simplest way to learn what accommodations are available in your county and how to access them is to contact your county clerk.  

County clerks across the state are making plans to serve voters with disabilities.  Some of the options planned include:

*	Scheduling an appointment to use an electronic ballot marking device which has accessible features such as:  large print, audio ballot, high contrast, touch screen, keypad, etc.
*	Visiting a curbside voting location
*	Having an electronic ballot sent to you by e-mail, complete it on your own device, and; mail it back
*	Using a voting app to vote

In an effort to help educate you, we have reviewed the websites of each county in Utah to assess how they plan to serve voters with disabilities.  The remainder of this document is a summary of what we found.

The following counties instruct voters who cannot complete a mailed ballot independently to contact the clerk’s office to work out an accommodation:

*	Beaver County: (435) 438-6460
*	Box Elder County (435) 734-3393
*	Daggett County (435) 784-3154
*	Juab County (435) 623-3410, alainal at juabcounty.gov <mailto:alainal at juabcounty.gov> 
*	Kane County (435) 644-2458
*	Morgan County (801)845-4012
*	Salt Lake County (385) 468-7400
*	Sanpete County (435) 835-2131 ext. 5
*	Weber County (801) 399-8036

Information we’ve obtained about plans other counties are making is found below.  Counties are listed in alphabetical order and the text is copied as it appears on the website or in the information sent to our office by the State Elections Office.

Cache County:  On Election Day the Cache County Clerk’s Office will have voting equipment with: touch screen, audio ballot, Braille, keypad, text enlargement, adjustable contrast, and screen tilt.  If you need to use this equipment, please contact the County Clerk’s Office at (435)755-1460 to make an appointment.

Carbon County:  An individual with a disability who is not able to vote a paper ballot by mail may obtain information on voting in an accessible manner by contacting the Carbon County Clerk/Auditor’s office. ADA Voting Machines will be available on Primary Election Day, June 30, 2020, in the Carbon County Administration Building from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for anyone needing assistance. 

Davis County:  If you are unable to vote on a paper ballot by yourself and would like to vote from home, please contact our office for assistance at (801) 451-3508.  Note:  We understand that Davis County has developed an electronic ballot which can be e-mailed to you and completed on your own device.

Duchesne County:  If you are a voter with a disability and cannot vote by mail or at a drive-up location, contact your county clerk at (435) 738-1228 for more information on accommodations that your county clerk can provide.

Emery County:  An individual with a disability, or is blind, unable to read or write or is physically unable to vote a mailed ballot, may be given assistance by an individual of the voter’s choice.  If you cannot read or mark a mailed ballot, we can provide assistance or the use of a voting machine with accessible features (e.g. audio ballot, touch screen, large print, high contrast).  Please contact (435) 381-3550 to make arrangements for assistance.  If the voter is unable to find a way to the Emery County courthouse to utilize the voting machine, we will make arrangements for assistance to be given to the voter at their residence if that is an acceptable alternative to the voter.

Garfield County:  No information was found.

Grand County: No information was found.

Iron County:  The clerk’s office will remain available for those with special needs, or who did not receive a ballot.  Please call (435) 477-8340 to set an appointment or for more information.

Millard County:  If you cannot read or mark a mailed ballot, we can provide assistance or the use of a ballot marking device with accessible features (e.g. audio ballot, touch screen, large print, high contrast).  If you need assistance with voting your ballot or you have ballot issues, please contact the Clerk’s Office (435) 743-6223; (435) 864-2440.  If a voter needs assistance with the paper ballot mailed to them, once they call us, we will work something out with them, including bringing the electronic marking device to them, inviting them to come to our ADA accommodated office or whatever may be necessary and convenient to the voter, within reason.

Rich County:  An individual with a disability who is not able to vote a by mail ballot may obtain information by contacting the County Clerk’s Office at: (435) 793-2415.  We can assist you in an accessible voting procedure to fit your needs.  Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have.

San Juan County:  If you cannot read or mark a ballot, we can provide assistance or the use of a ballot marking device with accessible features (e.g. audio ballot, touch screen, large print, high contrast).  If you need assistance voting your ballot or you have ballot issues, please contact the Clerk’s office at (435)587-3223.

Sevier County: An individual with a disability who is not able to vote a manual ballot by mail shall give reasonable notice to the county clerk where the individual resides to make arrangements for reasonable accommodations for the voter to vote. I have attached the insert that will be sent with each ballot. Should anyone inquire about accessible ballot options, we are planning to allow disabled voters to vote on an ExpressVote by appointment here at the Administration Building.  Appointments will be available for the two weeks prior to Election Day, including Election Day.

Tooele County:  There will only be a mobile polling location at the county building. This location will be for the disabled, people who did not receive a ballot in the mail whose information is correct, or other emergencies. 

Uintah County:   We plan to have an Expressvote machine available to accommodate any disabled voter that cannot vote a manual ballot. We plan to have this available the 15th of June through Election Day. This is the language included on the instruction sheet with the ballots and posted on the county website regarding disabled voters.  An individual with a disability who is not able to vote a manual ballot by mail can contact the Clerk-Auditor’s office (435)781-5360 for further assistance.

Utah County:  Utah County is utilizing Voatz for voters with disabilities.   Voatz is a voting app that allows voters to vote from their phone or tablet.  The county will also have Express vote machines at their drive thru locations on Election Day.

 

 Wasatch County:  The county plans to address each case as needed.  Accommodations may include having them come in, meet them in their car or go to their location and assist them with their ballot. Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals needing ADA or special accommodations should contact the Clerk's office at (435)657-3190 or email at clerkauditor at wasatch.utah.gov <mailto:clerkauditor at wasatch.utah.gov> 

 

Washington County:  If you are unable to vote a manual ballot, by mail, please contact the Washington County Clerk’s office at 435-986-3399 or email us at elections at washco.utah.gov <mailto:elections at washco.utah.gov>  for accessible voting options.  We can offer voting in-person at the county clerk’s office, by appointment, on an electronic marking device. This device can assist voters who have sight or mobility issues. Accessible voting will be available before the Election Day. Call our office at 435-986-3399 or email us at elections at washco.utah.gov <mailto:elections at washco.utah.gov>  for an appointment.  Some of the features of the electronic marking device are audio ballot, touch screen, large print and high contrast.  Accommodations are available to voters with disabilities who need poll worker assistance.  We can offer the individual an email ballot.  We can also discuss a more personalized voting method.  NOTE: A caretaker (for the ADA voter) may vote at the same time.

 

Wayne County:  To accommodate a voter with a disability, who cannot vote a paper ballot for this election, the Wayne County Clerk's Office has prepared the following plan. 1) Explain to the voter that someone can assist them in completing their ballot. The person assisting them cannot be the voter's employer, an agent of the employer, an officer/agent of the voter's union, or a candidate. 2) If a voter, who is disabled, cannot vote a by mail ballot and wishes to vote in another accessible manner, they may visit the Courthouse by appointment, and an Expressvote voting machine will be made available for them to vote on. 3) If a voter, who is disabled, is unable to vote by mail, and cannot get to the Courthouse to vote, they many contact the County Clerk's Office at (435)836-1300 to make specific arrangements to vote depending on the circumstances.

                

Everette Bacon

President

National Federation of the Blind of Utah

www.nfbutah.org <http://www.nfbutah.org>