Vermont Resources for Voters with Disabilities

In Vermont, you have the right to the following as protected by federal law. Election staff must 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, 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 Vermont, you also have the right to:  

• Independently mark and cast your ballot without interference, coercion, or intimidation
• Vote in privacy and cast a secret ballot
• Receive assistance when voting
• Review a sample ballot before voting
• Ask for reasonable accommodations by contacting your town clerk. A reasonable accommodation can include:
  • ramps to allow wheelchair access to the polling place or
  • an ASL interpreter to help deaf or hard-of-hearing voters.
• File a complaint about voting accessibility or other violation

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 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
  • attempt to persuade you to vote for or against
    • a candidate
    • a ballot question
       
• If you are sick or have a disability, a ballot can be delivered to your home on Election Day.
  • You may request an absentee ballot up until 5 p.m. on the day before the election
  • Two justices of the peace (of different parties when possible) may deliver a ballot to you, and then will bring the ballot back to the polling place so that it can be placed in the ballot box and counted
  • In some instances, you may be able to receive the ballot by mail or electronically

U.S. Vote Foundation has an online tool to help with filling out an absentee ballot request form.

You can use assistive technologies including screen readers to help you make your selection. OmniBallot has tools to help you mark your ballot, but Vermont does not have electronic ballot return.

You will print your ballot and certificate.  

• You will place the ballot in an envelope and glue/tape the certificate to the outside of the envelope
• If you are unable to sign your name on the absentee/early ballot envelope, you may make a mark (for example, an “X”) or take an oath
• Officers who deliver the ballots must witness the mark or oath and sign attesting to this fact on the envelope 

You will then mail your ballot to your town clerk. You can also drop it off in-person.

You can view a sample ballot on the online absentee ballot portal to practice using the accessible voting system.

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

Every polling place will have an accessible voting machine in federal elections. When you check in just ask to use the accessible voting machine. 

If you have trouble standing in line, you may

• ask for a chair
• ask to have your spot held in line
• ask to be moved to the front of the line

You may also ask an election official to bring a ballot out to your vehicle for curbside voting with a privacy sleeve. There may be parking spaces reserved for curbside voting.

You can bring a magnifying glass or a list of candidates if that will help you in the voting process.

You can ask for up to two more additional ballots if you make a mistake.

Contact your town clerk to request additional accommodations.

All polling places in Vermont use the accessible voting machine OmniBallot Tablet.

• You can watch a video tutorial (this video does not have closed captions) and/or you can read about the device and how it works.
   
• You can email the elections office at [email protected] for any questions you have about  OmniBallot Tablet.

• You can mail a formal complaint to:
  The Secretary of State 
  26 Terrace Street, Drawer 9 
  Montpelier, VT 05609-1101
   
  • You must get the complaint notarized, and you must sign and swear to the complaint.
  • You must include your name, phone number, and mailing address.
  • In the complaint, you should detail the nature and facts of what went wrong. You can request a hearing.
  • You must also send a copy of your complaint to any election official you are writing a complaint about.
  • You must submit the complaint within 60 days of the certification of the federal election.
  • The Secretary of State will either dismiss your complaint if it does not allege an act of disability discrimination in regard to elections, or they will resolve your complaint with appropriate remedies.
    • Your complaint will be resolved within 90 days of the Secretary of State receiving the complaint.
    • If 90 days expires without a resolution, and you do not grant an extension, your complaint will be referred to Alternate Dispute Resolution.
  • You can appeal the decision to the Superior Court in the county where you live.
     
• You can reach out to Disability Rights Vermont at 1-800-834-7890 
   
• 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.

• Voter Registration 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
• Vermont State Elections Enforcement Commission Complaint Form