ACCESS DENIED

Executive Summary
There is growing consensus on the many advantages of online voter registration. 1
For election officials, the online efficiencies translate into reduced administrative
burdens, increased accuracy of data, and potentially millions of dollars in
cost savings. 2 For eligible voters, an online voter registration system is quick,
convenient, and accurate. Perhaps most
importantly, according to the Social
Science Research Council, “while about
51 million eligible adults, or about one in One in five people
four U.S. citizens, are not registered to
vote, 3 the evidence is clear that online voter eligible to vote has a
registration is helping to increase voter
disability.
franchise and build a more robust and
vibrant democracy.” 4
This report focuses on one urgent issue: the accessibility of online voter
registration websites for voters with disabilities.
There are two reasons that online voter registration sites must be accessible:
1. It is a good idea: People with disabilities constitute 19 percent of eligible
voters. 5 Those most likely to experience barriers online are people with visual
disabilities, cognitive disabilities (such as traumatic brain injury), learning
disabilities, and limited mobility of arms and hands. For many, online registration
would remove the need for a time-consuming and burdensome trip to the
Department of Motor Vehicles.
2. It is the law: Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires all
state and local government entities to ensure that people with disabilities have
equal access to government programs and services. The ADA also requires
equally effective communication. 6 An online voter registration system is such
a program and service, and the information it communicates must be equally
available to people with disabilities.
2
ACCESS DENIED: BARRIERS TO ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION FOR CITIZENS WITH DISABILITIES