Florida Resources for Voters with Disabilities

You have the right to the following items as protected by federal law. Election staff must be trained on and respect these rights:

• Accessible voter registration
• Accessible polling places
• Policies and procedures that do not discriminate against you based on your disability
• Accessible, available, and operational voting systems
• Your service animal to accompany you inside the polling place
• The right to vote privately and independently or with assistance, if needed 
• Assistance from a person of your choice, who can be a friend, family member, or poll worker. The person may not be your employer, or an agency of your employer, or an officer or agency of your union

In Florida, you also have the right to:

• Vote and have his or her vote accurately counted.
• Cast a vote if he or she is in line at the official closing of the polls in that county.
• Ask for and receive assistance in voting.
• Receive up to two replacement ballots if he or she makes a mistake prior to the ballot being cast.
• An explanation if his or her registration or identity is in question.
• If his or her registration or identity is in question, cast a provisional ballot.
• Written instructions to use when voting, and, upon request, oral instructions in voting from elections officers.
• Vote free from coercion or intimidation by elections officers or any other person.
• Vote on a voting system that is in working condition and that will allow votes to be accurately cast.

Federal law requires assistance in registering to vote from offices that provide public assistance or state-funded programs serving people with disabilities. Responsibilities of these offices include:

• Providing voter registration forms
• Assisting voters in completing the forms
• Transmitting completed forms to the appropriate election official

All aspects of voter registration must be accessible 

If you need help voting at the polls, you will either need to:                  

• Fill out a form saying that you need help, or
• Request assistance at the polls on your voter registration application
  • You can either have two members of the Supervisor of Elections staff help you vote or anyone of your choice, as long as they are not your employer, an agent of your employer, or an officer or agent of your union
  • If the person you get help from is not election staff, they need to fill out a form saying they will provide help
     
• A poll worker cannot force you to accept assistance. The poll worker cannot seek to persuade or induce you to vote for or against:
  • any candidate
  • any ballot question

Federal law requires polling places to meet minimum compliance standards for individuals with special needs.

• The Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984 (VAEHA) requires accessible polling places in federal elections for elderly individuals and people with disabilities. Where no accessible location is available to serve as a polling place, voters must be provided an alternate means of voting in person on Election Day.
   
• The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) requires at least one accessible voting system for persons with disabilities at each polling place in federal elections.  The accessible voting system must provide the same opportunity for access and participation, including privacy and independence, that other voters receive. 

If you want to check that your polling location meets these standards or find an alternative polling location, contact your local election official.

If you are unable to stand in line, you can:

• Request to be moved to the front of the line or refuse to be moved to the front of the line
• Request that a chair be provided or refuse to accept a chair
• Request to have your place in line held and notified when it is your turn

Also in Florida,

• All polling places are required to be accessible for voting.
• At least one accessible voting system is available in each polling place. These meet at least 12 major categories of accessibility.
• You have the right to vote independently and privately or with assistance if needed.
• All polling places must have one or more signed accessible parking spaces, ensuring an accessible route, and providing sufficient light along path of travel and within the polling place

You can request an accessible vote-by-mail ballot to be delivered to you electronically by contacting your County Supervisor of Elections. 

With the accessible ballot:

• You have the option to mark the ballot with or without compatible assistive devices or software, depending on what county you live in
• You can only return your accessible ballot in person or by mail, so you need to print it after you fill it out
• If you are voting by mail, you can still have someone other than your employer, agent of your employer, or officer or agent of your union help you vote.
• Click this link for a brochure for vote-by-mail

• Florida's accessible voting machines meet at least 12 major categories of accessibility standards. Here is a chart of the voting systems used in all Florida counties. 
• For instructions on how to use the accessible voting machines, contact your County Supervisor of Elections. 
• Florida has developed a Voting in Florida guide to assist you in preparing to vote. Page 9 has a section entitled, “What is it Like in the Voting Booth.”
• AccessTheVote’s video tutorials explain the accessible voting equipment, which include captions in English, Spanish, as well as ASL.

If you feel your rights have been violated, you may contact one of the following:

• Florida Secretary of State, Division of Elections
  Room 316
  R.A. Gray Building
  500 South Bronough Street
  Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250
   
• Florida Voter Assistance Hotline
  1-866-308-6739, 1-800-955-8771 (TDD), M-F 8:00am-5:00pm ET
   
• Disability Rights Florida
  2473 Care Drive, Suite 200
  Tallahassee, FL 32308
  1-850-488-9071/1-800-342-0823/1-800-346-4127 (TDD)
  disabilityrightsflorida.org
   
• Florida Elections Commission or go to the Complaints Forms page to complete a form.
   
• Election Protection Hotline, call or text 1-866-687-8683, for immediate assistance on Election Day.

You can alternatively fill out a Violation of Civil Rights Complaint Form and submit it to the US Department of Justice by one of the following methods:

• Online, through the form’s submission process - this is the fastest method.
   
• By fax at (202) 616-9881. You MUST include “ATTN: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Complaints" at the top of your fax submission for it to be processed correctly.
   
• By mailing your form to: 
       U.S. Department of Justice
       Office of the Inspector General
       Investigations Division
       ATTN: Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Complaints
       950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
       Washington, DC 20530

For additional assistance, The National Network of ADA Centers can provide local contact information for other organizations you may wish to contact, including your Regional ADA Center or ADA Knowledge Translation Center, or Federal Agencies and Resources.

• Disability Rights Florida
• Accessible Voting for Persons with Disabilities - Division of Elections - Florida Department of State
• Florida Voting Portal
• US Vote Foundation's Voter Help Desk
• Verified Voter Accessible Voting Machine Search
• Department of Justice Civil Rights Violation Complaint Form
• Florida Elections Commission - Complaints