[Nfbmt] Voting in Montana for People with Disabilities

Wed Jun 1 13:16:39 UTC 2016

This may interest some of you.  Joy 

Voters with Disabilities - Elections and Government Services - Montana
Secretary of State Linda McCulloch

Montana's Statewide Elections have various options for voters with
disabilities or voters who need special assistance, including the new
Electronic Ballot

Request System (EBR System):

│Every polling place in Montana has at least one specialized voting machine,
called an AutoMARK, that enables people with disabilities to vote
independently and privately.  If you cannot enter a polling place, election
judges will assist you with "curbside voting".

│If you have a physical disability or are unable to read or write, you may
ask an election judge to help you mark your ballot. Or, you can bring a
friend or relative who, with the permission of the election judge, can go
into the voting booth with you and help you vote.

│You may also designate an agent to assist you with the voting process on the
Designation of Agent by Individual with Disability

form. Deliver the signed application to your local election office.

│Beginning October 1, 2015, you may apply for an electronic ballot that can
be marked on your personal computer, printed and returned to the election
office.

│The Voter Information Pamphlet published by the Secretary of State for each
state general election is available in either Braille or audio formats.

Accessible Forms

Absentee Voting Instructions

Annual Absentee Address Confirmation

Application for Absentee Ballot (PDF fillable version)

Application for Electronic Absentee Ballot

Declaration for Nomination and Oath of Candidacy Word or PDF fillable version

Voter Registration Form (Word or PDF fillable version

Designation of Agent by Individual with Disability (Word or PDF version)

Contact soselections at mt.gov if you have a voting accessibility suggestion or
concern.

Accessible Voting Equipment

The Secretary of State's office and the 56 counties of Montana have teamed up
to offer the ES&S AutoMARKT, breakthrough ballot-marking technology that
allows voters with disabilities and other special needs to mark a ballot
privately and independently.

Using the ES&S AutoMARK

The ES&S AutoMARKT voter assist terminal is a ballot-marking system designed
to provide privacy and accessibility to voters who are blind,
vision-impaired, or have a disability or condition that would make it
difficult or impossible to mark a ballot in the usual way. The technology
also provides language assistance

to voters who are more comfortable speaking a different language or who need
help to better understand written instructions.

│Information on using the AutoMARK

AutoMARK Voting Instructions

The following are the steps necessary to vote on the AutoMARK:

1. The election judge will take the stub off of your ballot and will place
your ballot in a secrecy sleeve. The stub must be removed for the AutoMARK to
read the ballot.

2. You will then insert the secrecy sleeve into the AutoMARK so the AutoMARK
accepts your ballot. The secrecy sleeve will stay in the AutoMARK so that
your ballot will remain secret when it is printed out by the machine.

You may wish to ask the election judge for headphones, which you can use to
hear the computer voice that will read the ballot to you.

Also, if you are using the headphones, you can press the diamond-shaped
"screen" button at the top right of the AutoMARK to completely darken the
screen so that you are certain that no one can see your votes.

3. If you are an individual with low or no vision, you can use the keypad
that is on the right side of the machine to navigate through your choices.
The computer voice will read your choices to you. You can also change the
contrast and font size to make the screen easier to read.

The keypad has raised buttons in the shape of arrows for ease of use, and
also has Braille markings for people who are able to read Braille.

4. Make your choices for candidates and ballot issues. After you are done
making your choices, the AutoMARK will confirm them to you, allow you to
change and confirm them, and will mark and print your ballot so that it comes
out into the secrecy sleeve. Putting the ballot back into the machine will
allow

it to read your ballot and confirm that the machine accurately marked your
choices, if you would like for it to do so.

5. An election judge will take your ballot while it is still in the secrecy
sleeve and drop it into the ballot box for counting.

Joy Breslauer, President

National Federation of the Blind of Montana 

Address: P.O. Box 1325, Great Falls, MT 59403 

Phone: (406) 454-3096

Email: president at nfbofmt.org

Web Site: www.nfbofmt.org

Live the life you want 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

It's TIME to Eliminate Subminimum Wages for People with Disabilities

http://www.nfb.org/TIME

Donate to the National Federation of the Blind of Montana
<http://www.nfbofmt.org/donate.html> 