Who

Voters with Disabilities

In the past decade, Texas has led the nation with its efforts to increase ballot accessibility for all voters, including elderly voters, voters with disabilities, and voters who do not read or speak English or Spanish. Texas has created laws requiring all polling places to be accessible to persons who are elderly or physically disabled. And Texas was the first state to require that all electronic voting systems purchased after September 1, 1999, provide voters who have disabilities a practical way to cast a secret ballot.

Polling places should support voters, not hinder them. When you go to the polls in Texas, you can expect:

Your polling place will meet strict accessibility standards, including:
A location on the ground floor that can be entered from the street or via an elevator with doors that open at least 36 inches
Doors, entrances, and exits used to enter or leave the polling place that are at least 32 inches wide
Any curb next to the main entrance to the polling place must have curb-cuts or temporary non-slip ramps
Stairs necessary to enter or leave the polling place must have handrails on each side and a non-slip ramp.
Removal of all barriers such as gravel, automatically closing gates, closed doors without lever-type handles, or any other barrier that impedes the path of the physically disabled to the voting station.
Voting systems that are accessible to voters with physical disabilities and can accommodate no vision, low vision, no hearing, low hearing, limited manual dexterity, limited reach, limited strength, no mobility, low mobility, or any combination of the foregoing (except the combination of no hearing and no vision)
Each polling place will offer at least one type of accessible voting equipment or Direct Record Electronic (“DRE”) device. This equipment allows voters with disabilities to vote directly on the system or assist them in marking the paper ballot. Depending on the type of system, voters with disabilities may use headphones or other assistive devices to help them vote independently and secretly.

Voter Assistance

You may be assisted by a person of your choice, by two election workers on Election Day, or by one election worker during early voting. You may NOT be assisted by your employer, an agent of your employer, or an officer or agent of your union.
The person assisting you must read the entire ballot to you, unless you request that only certain parts of the ballot be read aloud.
The person assisting you must take an oath that he or she will not try to influence your vote, will mark your ballot as you direct, and will not tell anyone how you voted.
If you choose to be assisted by polling place officials, then poll watchers and/or state and federal election inspectors may observe the voting process to make sure the ballot is marked as you request. If you are assisted by a person of your choosing, no one else may watch you vote.
If you cannot speak English, or if you communicate only with sign language, you may select any registered voter of your county to help you communicate with election officials. If you cannot read the languages on the ballot, your interpreter may translate the ballot for you in the voting booth.

Voters may vote curbside.

If you are physically unable to enter the polling place, you may ask that an election officer bring a ballot to you at the entrance of the polling place or to your car at curbside. After you mark the ballot, give it to the election officer to put it in the ballot box, or hand it to a companion to deposit in the ballot box for you.
If you plan to go alone to vote curbside, it is wise to call ahead so election officials will expect you. Generally speaking, you may vote curbside during the early voting period (the 17th day before Election Day until the 4th day before Election Day) or on Election Day.