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Accessibility and Human Factors

Latest Releases

Overview

A drawing shows four people with various disabilities gathered together.
Credit: A. Reisberg, N. Hanacek/NIST

In order for voters to vote as they intend, privately and independently, it is vital that accessibility and human factors considerations are included during election system design and development.

NIST has a decades-long history of addressing the accessibility and usability of voting systems and processes based on human factors technical research and collaborations with subject matter experts. Drawing on this expertise and using its robust stakeholder engagement mechanisms, NIST conducts research in election systems to champion voters and election workers throughout the voting process.

Our stakeholders include not only election officials, system developers, and voting system test laboratories (VSTLs), but also voter advocates.

NIST performs research that examines the role of human factors in the design and application of next generation election systems, including:

  • Accessibility and usability standards for new election systems technology  
  • Guidance for applying human factors to new election systems technology
  • Guidance for testing systems and processes with voters and election workers

Implementation Guides

Research

Help for Election Officials

See EAC Website on Voting Accessibility

Publications
 

Publication
Date
Publication
Type
Title
07/2024NIST GCR 24-051How Voters Review and Verify Ballots
07/2024NIST GCR 24-052A Review of the Literature on Voter Verification and Ballot Review
11/2023NIST VTS 100-3Usability and Accessibility of Electronic Pollbooks Part 1: Usability in the Polling Place
11/2023NIST VTS 100-3Usability and Accessibility of Electronic Pollbooks Part 2: A Usability Test Protocol
11/2023NIST VTS 100-3Usability and Accessibility of Electronic Pollbooks Part 3: Checklists for Usability and Accessibility
11/2023NIST VTS 100-2Training Poll Workers for Accessible Voting: Supporting Voters with Disabilities at the Polling Place
11/2023NIST VTS 100-2Assisting Voters with Disabilities at the Polling Place (downloadable sample slide presentation)
01/2023NIST VTS 400-5Handbook for VVSG 2.0 Usability and Accessibility Test Strategies: A report on guidance and resources for how to test voting systems
01/2023NIST VTS 100-1Administering Accessible Vote by Mail Systems: Challenges and Innovations in Elections Offices
12/22/2015NISTIR 8047Cloud-based Accessibility for Voting Applications
1/5/2012NISTGCR 12-956Development of Appropriate Test Markings for Optical Scan Voting Machines, Phase 2: Analysis of Ballot Markings
5/2/2011PaperDevelopment of Appropriate Test Markings for Optical Scan Voting Machines, Phase 1: Ballot Scanning and Collection
5/2009NISTIR 7596Guidelines for Writing Clear Instructions and Messages for Voters and Poll Workers
5/2009NISTIR 7556Report of Findings: Use of Language in Ballot Instructions
10/2008NISTIR 7537Guidelines for Using Color in Voting Systems
8/2008NISTIR 7519Style Guide for Voting System Documentation
5/2004NIST SP 500-256Improving the Usability and Accessibility of Voting Systems and Products

Video Resources

Webinars on the VVSG 2.0 draft Requirements: Improving the Accessibility and Usability of Voting Systems

VVSG 2.0 Draft Requirements - Part 1: Introducing the Human Factors Requirements
Part 1: Introducing the Human Factors Requirements Slides: PPT or PDF

VVSG 2.0 Draft Requirements - Part 2: Updates to Best Practices and New Technologies for Voting Systems
Part 2: Updates to Best Practices and New Technologies for Voting Systems Slides: PPT or PDF

Accessibility Resources

Accessible Voting Technology

Created October 31, 2022, Updated July 9, 2024