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Accessible Voting Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has collaborated with the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to create this Accessible Voting Technology (AVT) Portal to serve the needs of the accessible voting community as a gateway to a broad spectrum of resources related to accessible voting research. Through this portal:
- Researchers and manufacturers can explore and discover various technologies to enhance and improve the accessibility of voting systems,
- Researchers and accessibility advocates can identify new and exciting collaborations to advance the field of accessible voting technology, and
- Election officials and test lab representatives can use this portal as a platform to gain more knowledge and insight on AVT related research, standards, testing, and certification.
As the portal grows, it will feature current and future hot topics in AVT research, including everything from mobile voting to plain language. It will direct you to accessible voting standards, current applications of AVTs, and research projects on accessibility that push the limits of modern voting systems.
AVT Research Highlights
Best Practices, Guidelines, & Recommendations
- Recommendations for election official outreach in residential facilities (pp. 62-63)
- Design guidelines for creating voting technology for adults with aphasia
- Recommendations for developing accessible and usable electronic voting systems
- Recommendations to improve accessibility for military absentee voting (pp. 20-38)
- Guide to disabilities and voting system access features
- Ten accessibility recommendations for poll workers
- Recommendations for accessible voting system design
- Online course for poll workers: how to assisting voters with different needs
Surveys & Data
- Design guidelines for creating voting technology for adults with aphasia
- Surveys of people with disabilities
- Analysis of usability and accessibility of voting systems
- An ethnographic study of voters with disabilities
- Veterans with disabilities: a needs assessment
- Study on voting demonstrations of access technology
- Database for accessible voting equipment usage
- Disability, voter turnout, and voting difficulties in the 2012 elections -- report no longer available on Rutgers website
Prototypes
- Tablet-based voter guide for voters with early stage alzheimer's disease
- Smart voting joystick for accessible voting machines
- IDEAL Accessible Voter Information Guide Beta
- EZ ballot with multimodal inputs and outputs
- A study of hardware devices for user input
- Anywhere Ballot: A responsive, accessible ballot design
- VotingVoice: An accessible voter's guide for people with aphasia
- Prime III: One Machine, One Vote for Everyone
- iPad voting case
AVTI Grantees
If you have any comments on the content or suggestions for additions to the content of this portal please email avtvote [at] nist.gov (avtvote[at]nist[dot]gov).
To stay up to date on AVT related information, and participate in exciting AVT discussions, send an email with your contact information to avtvote [at] nist.gov (avtvote[at]nist[dot]gov).