Pennsylvania Resources for Voters with Disabilities

In Pennsylvania, you have the right to the following as protected by federal law. Election staff must respect these rights:

• Accessible voter registration - this includes asking for a registration format that works for you
• Accessible polling places - this includes asking for reasonable accommodations such as skipping the line if needed
• Policies and procedures that do not discriminate against you based on your disability
• Accessible, available, and operational voting systems, features
• 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 choice, who can be a friend, family member, or poll worker (but not your boss, union agent, or a candidate unless this person is your family member)
• Election Staff trained to understand the rights above.

In Pennsylvania, you also have the following rights:  

• It is illegal for any state or local government to discriminate against anyone by denying them the right to vote based on their:
  • race,
  • ethnicity,
  • national origin, or
  • membership in a language minority.
     
• Your right to vote can only be challenged if a poll worker, poll watcher, or another voter says you do not live in the precinct or are not who you say you are.
   
• It is illegal for any person or corporation to intimidate or coerce you to vote for or against a particular candidate or political issue.

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

• You may request assistance from a poll worker or receive assistance from a person of your choice such as a friend or family member with the following exceptions:  
  • your employer, an agent of your employer
  • an officer or agent of your union
• A poll worker:
  • cannot force you to accept assistance
  • cannot attempt to persuade you to vote for or against a candidate or ballot question
• The first time that you receive help voting you will fill out the Declaration of the Need for Assistance. The form is available for you to fill out in Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Vietnamese.
• You can pick someone to pick up and return your mail-in or absentee ballot as well

• You can vote in-person (including by a provisional ballot) on Election Day.
• You can vote by mail
• You can vote with an on-line accessible ballot
• You can vote with an alternative ballot if your polling place is not accessible.
• You can vote early in-person at your local board of elections or at a designated location you can find on your county's website by applying for, filling out, and returning your mail-in/absentee ballot all in one step
• You can vote with an emergency absentee ballot if needed based on disability

ANY VOTER may request a mail-in ballot from their county office up until 5pm on the Tuesday before the election. You do not have to prove you have a disability to be able to vote by mail. Disability Rights Pennsylvania takes the position that voters with disabilities should use mail-in ballots rather than absentee ballots.

However, you may apply for an absentee ballot based on disability if:

• You are a qualified war veteran who is bedridden or hospitalized due to illness or physical disability and absent from your residence and unable to attend the polling place
• Because of illness or physical disability, you are unable to attend the polling place or operate a voting machine

If your disability hinders you from applying in person or delivering your mail-in or absentee ballot, you may designate an agent to bring your ballot materials to you.

If you have a permanent disability, you can apply to be added to the permanent absentee voter list.

• Make sure you fill out section C on your absentee ballot application
• Then you will get an annual absentee ballot application every year 

f you have a disability and were assigned to a polling place that your county board of elections says is not accessible, you are eligible to vote by alternative ballot. This is a paper ballot you get in the mail and return to your county election office.                       

• To apply for an alternative ballot, fill in the paper alternative ballot application and send it to your county election office  
• If accepted, you will receive an alternative ballot with instructions via U.S. mail from your county elections office             
• You must submit your alternative ballot application to your county election office no later than 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before Election Day                    
• Once you complete your alternative ballot, you can return it in person to your county election office or other officially designated location, by designating someone in writing to return it for you, or through the U.S. mail                          

Pennsylvania offers an online accessible ballot for voters. These ballots will allow voters who use screen readers and assistive devices to vote a mail ballot privately and independently.  

Pennsylvania offers an online accessible ballot for voters. 

• You can request this type of ballot by filling out an accessible PDF and mailing that to your local board of elections. You can also request an online accessible ballot by filling out an accessible online form.
• You must be registered in Pennsylvania and have already applied for a mail-in ballot.
• After you have successfully applied for a mail-in ballot and requested an online accessible ballot, instructions will be mailed to you for how to access your online ballot. You will also be mailed secrecy and return envelopes.
• You must print your ballot
• There is no e-return option available in Pennsylvania

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

It is important to know that you have the right to ask for any accommodation you might need so long as it wouldn't present a direct threat to people and/or an administrative burden to the county.

You can vote using an accessible voting machine. 

• Every polling place will have one
• You can check to see which accessible voting machine your county uses
• Sometimes the accessible machine is the same machine used by the general voting population (which has accessible features)

You can check to see how accessible your polling place is.

If your disability makes it difficult for you to stand in line, you can ask:

• to be moved to the front of the line
• to have your place held in line
• for a chair
• (you also have the right to refuse these options)

You can check to see which accessible voting machine your county uses. There will be videos on how to use the voting equipment on your county’s section. (The accessible voting machine may also be labeled as a ballot marking device.)

Contact your local election official to preview a sample ballot and  practice using accessible voting equipment.

You have several options. You can: 

• Contact Disability Rights Pennsylvania at (800) 692-7443 or [email protected] with any issues you have voting
   
• Call the Pennsylvania Voter Hotline at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772) for immediate assistance
   
• File a formal complaint about voting accessibility. Fill out and mail the form to:
  THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE
  BUREAU OF COMMISSIONS, ELECTIONS AND LEGISLATION
  210 North Office Building
  Harrisburg, PA 17120
  • You must get the form notarized.
  • You must also send the original complaint and two copies to the above mailing address.
     

You can also 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.

• Mail-in or Absentee Ballot Request
• Election Dates/Deadlines
• Election Official Directory
• US Vote Foundation's Voter Help Desk
• Department of Justice Civil Rights Violation Complaint Form
• Verified Voter Accessible Voting Machine Search
• Pennsylvania State Elections Enforcement Commission Complaint Form
• Disability Rights Pennsylvania