Assistance for Voters with Disabilities


Inquire about the availability of documents in accessible formats.

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​T
he County of Sacramento ​Voter Registration and Elections Department has a long standing commitment to work with voters with disabilities to help them exercise their right to vote.  This page provides general information about these efforts, and voters are encouraged to contact us with specific requests for assistance using the contact information below.

Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee (VAAC) 

​Sacramento County Voter Registration & Elections department has established a citizen advisory committee to make recommendations for improving access to voting and election materials. This Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee, or VAAC, is designed to advise and assist in ensuring all voters in Sacramento County can vote independently and privately. ​

Read More​


Vote Center and Official Ballot Drop Box​ Location Accessibility
Vote Centers and Official Ballot Drop Box locations are selected using Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines from the Polling Place Accessibility Checklist. These checklists are used to find accessible locations. If a barrier is a found that may keep a person from entering a Vote Center or using an Official Ballot Drop Box, the County’s election office will make changes on or before Election Day by using additional equipment and signs​.
  
If you have questions about the physical access to a Vote Center or Official Ballot Drop Box location, call (916) 875-6100 or email precinctoperations@saccounty.gov. ​

Accessible Voting Supplies
All Vote Centers will have an accessible voting booth for a chair or wheelchair, magnifying glasses, and pen grips. There will be three (3) accessible ballot marking devices​ that can accommodate a chair or wheelchair.  

Accessible Ballot Marking Device at a Vote Center
If you have a disability, all Vote Centers will have three (3) accessible ballot marking devices​ so you can mark your ballot independently and privately. These machines can be used by anyone! 

The Voter Registration and Elections Department at 7000 65th Street will have an accessible ballot marking device for use starting 29 days before Election Day. 

Sacramento County now uses Dominion’s ImageCast X (ICX) Ballot Marking Device. It lets voters go through their ballot with features such as:
  • Touchscreen Tablet, with options to change text size and contrast on the tablet
  • Audio Tactile Interface (ATI) keypad with Braille
  • Headphones and Audio Instructions in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Taiwanese
  • Privacy Mask, for voters with low vision to ensure their votes are kept private as they use the Audio Instructions
  • Allows voters to use their own Paddle or Sip And Puff assistive device
This machine does not tabulate or count any votes. After the voter confirms their selections on the “Review” screen, the voter must print their ballot selections and place in the Blue Ballot Bag in order for their ballot to count.

For any voter that cannot physically access a Vote Center, there is the option to vote “curbside”. You can either call the elections office or have a passenger or friend enter the Vote Center and give your information to a trained election official to bring your ballot to you. You may sit in a car and vote, or vote at the door of the building. To schedule curbside voting call (916) 875-6100 or email precinctoperations@saccounty.gov​


Mark Your Vote by Mail Ballot from Home!
Under the Voter’s Choice Act (California Election Code 4005), voters with disabilities can request and receive access to the Remote Accessible Vote by Mail (RAVBM) system. Sacramento County has selected Democracy Live to provide this service. The RAVBM system allows voters with disabilities to download and mark their correct ballot privately and independently using their own assistive technology, print their marked ballot, and mail it to the Elections Office to be counted.

You may use the postage paid Voter Preference Form on the back of your County Voter Information Guide, or use My Voter Portal​ to access the RAVBM system. For more information about this option, please call (916) 875-6155 or email vbm@saccounty.gov​.

 

​​​​ Materials in Accessible Formats
The County Voter Information Guide is available in large print and accessible format. Request large print materials by contacting our office at (916) 875-5854 or emailing voter-outreach@saccounty.gov.  An accessible version will be available in My Voter Portal​ starting 30 days before the election. 
  
The California Secretary of State mails one Voter Information Guide to every household with a registered voter. This guide covers all propositions and candidate statements for statewide elections. To request this guide in an accessible format, please visit http://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/​​

Voting Assistance 
If you need help, you may bring up to two people to help you, or you may ask for help from an election official. You may ask anyone to help you vote, except for the following people:
  • Your employer
  • An agent of your employer
  • An agent of your union
Anyone that helps you vote cannot tell you how to vote or tell others how you voted.

Casting Your Ballot
Instructions for marking and casting your ballot are posted in each voting location and with your Vote by Mail ballot. If you have any questions about how to mark or cast your ballot, or if you have incorrectly marked a ballot, please call (916) 875-6155 or email vbm@saccounty.gov. You may also request assistance or a replacement ballot at any Vote Center location. 

​Signing Election D​ocuments
If you cannot sign your name and have no other legal mark that you use in place of signing your name, make an “X” or other simple mark, if possible, on the signature line. You must have another person both write your name near your mark and then sign as a witness. The person witnessing your mark must be at least 18 years old.​

You may use an approved signature stamp to sign your election documents.  Click he​re​ for more information about signature stamps and voting.
  
For more information about signing election materials or using a signature stamp, please call (916) 8​75-6451 or email voterInfo@saccounty.gov​

V​​oters In Assisted Living Facilities​​​

Voters with disabilities and voters who are living in assisted living facilities may need extra help to register to vote, obtain a mail or accessible ballot, and cast their ballot. Family members, carers, and employees who provide assistance to these voters can click here for guidance. 


Resources
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