FAQS

Yes. The ADA Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the efforts of our agency to comply with the ADA, respond to complaints filed by the public, and ensure that all eligible voters have equal access to the voting process.

Yes, in order to register to vote, you must:

• Be a United States Citizen
• Be a resident of the District of Columbia
• Be at least 16 years old* 
• NOT be in jail on a felony conviction
• Not have been found by a court to be legally incompetent to vote
• Not claim voting residence outside of the District of Columbia

• Online: Visit www.dcboe.org  or www.vote4dc.com
• On your phone: Use our mobile voter registration app, Vote4DC, which allows you to sign and send your application from your mobile phone or tablet.
• In-person: Register in-person at DCBOE or District government NVRA agencies. Registration is also available using the Driver License or Identification Card Application (Form DMVR-4) at DC DMV offices.  
• Polling place: At your polling place on Election Day.
• Outreach events: Voter registration drives are held at various community functions, organizations and nursing home facilities.

It depends. To register by mail you must have either a driver's license number or a DMV-issued ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security Number. When registering for the first time by mail you will additionally need to include a copy of one of the following:

•  Valid District of Columbia DMV-issued ID 
•  Government check or paycheck*
•  Bank Statement*
•  Utility bill*
•  Student housing statement/tuition bill
• Homeless shelter occupancy statement
• Lease
• Other government document that shows the name and address of the voter

DCBOE provides the following services to ensure every eligible voter can exercise their right to vote:

Voter Access Services

• Polling place accessibility
  • Accessible entrances, ramps and elevators
  • Curbside voting for voters ages 65 or older, or any person with a disability
  • Accessible passenger drop-off areas
• Accessible voting machines: Braille, audio and touchscreen
• Service animal friendly environment
• Disability awareness training for Election Day Workers
• Sensitivity guidelines
• Disability awareness video 
  • Voter outreach and education
• Voter registration assistance, online and in-person
• Educate and encourage voter participation
• Multi-language election material
• Election information in large font
• Audio ballots
• Voter Assistance Clerks and ADA Compliance Assistants to assist with voting
• Election Day hotline dedicated to ADA Compliance and accessible voting
• TDD services for voters with auditory disabilities

• In person and/or telephonic Interpreters available at all polling sites on Election Day
• Language access kits with translated ballots and elections material at all polling sites
• Multi-language voter access and directional signs
• Sign language interpreters are also available at designated polling sites

DCBOE provides language access services (interpreters, translated ballots and Language Line) for no or limited English proficient voters on Election Day:

• Multi-language directional signs are available at all polling places
• Spanish, Mandarin, Amharic, and Vietnamese interpreters are assigned to designated polling sites on Election Day
• Over-the-phone interpretation services (any language) at all polling sites
• Alternate language materials are available in a language kit at each polling site during the election. Each kit contains translated ballots and other pertinent election materials (Spanish and Mandarin). 
• Sign language interpreters are also available at designated polling sites

Vote in-person on Election Day: Senior citizens and people with disabilities can vote in-person at their assigned polling place on Election Day. Voter Assistance Clerks will be present to provide assistance.

Curbside voting: Voters who are unable, for reason of disability, seniority, or illness, to enter a polling place on the day of an election may arrange to vote from their car.

Early Voting Centers:  You can cast your ballot at any Early Voting Center using the Board’s accessible touchscreen voting equipment. The touchscreen offers a voter-verifiable paper audit trail of all votes cast. Each voter will be checked in at the Early Voting Center using electronic pollbooks that are connected over a secure network so that a voter cannot check-in and cast a ballot at more than one location.

Absentee Voting: DC offers “no excuse” absentee voting. Please contact our office during each election season to find out the deadline to request your Absentee Ballot. All ballots must be received by DCBOE by 8:00 pm on Election Day. Ballots can be mailed or delivered in-person to DCBOE offices, dropped off at any Early Voting Center until the published deadline, or dropped off at any polling place on Election Day. To request an Absentee Ballot, complete the form online at www.dcboe.org and then print, sign, and mail it to the Board or send a letter to the Board’s physical address at 1015 Half Street, SE, Suite 750 Washington, DC 20003. If you send your own letter, you must include:

• Your name
• Your residence address and recent change of address
• The address where your ballot is to be mailed (if different from your residence address)
• Your date of birth
• Your DMV-issued ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security Number
• Your signature

Transfer your ballot: If you do not believe your polling site is accessible for your specific disability, you can transfer your ballot to another polling site. Notwithstanding DC Official Code §714.1(a), a voter whose residence is served by a polling place that has been identified as inaccessible pursuant to Section 8 of the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act may vote a regular ballot at another, accessible polling place if they: are a senior citizen or a person with a disability; and they contact the Board in writing by no later than the seventh day prior to Election Day to request that a complete ballot for their precinct of residence be brought to the accessible polling place on Election Day.

Yes. All early voting centers in the District meet strict ADA standards. On Election Day, we work collaboratively with other government agencies and volunteers to maintain accessible polling sites so that voters with disabilities and senior citizens can vote privately and independently.

Yes. Service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls.

When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, Election Day Workers may ask two questions:

• Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
• What work or task has the dog or horse been trained to perform?

Yes. Feel free to bring a relative, friend, or neighbor to assist you, as long as they are not your employer, an election observer, or union representative. DCBOE Voter Assistance Clerks will also be on hand to help at every Early Voting Center and Election Day polling place.

DCBOE offers Curbside Voting at all polling places on Election Day. You or someone you know can vote a ballot right from the comfort of your car. A Voter Assistance Clerk will be available to confirm your voter registration and bring you your ballot.

Another option is to request a ballot transfer. DCBOE will provide you with a ballot at a closer, more accessible location, as long as the request is made at least seven days before Election Day.

The ExpressVote system was designed to accommodate voters in the general voting population, including voters with cognitive, dexterity, auditory and visual impairments. Voters have several options to make candidate selections.

• Voters may touch the screen or use the moveable keypad provided
• The display includes various colors and effects to guide the voter
• The voter may adjust the display contrast and text size in order to read the screen
• Each key on the pad has both Braille and printed text labels designed to indicate function and a related shape to help the voter determine its use
• Alternatively, voters may also use headphones to hear a recorded list of the instructions and candidates for each contest and then make selections by touching the screen, touching the keypad, touching a two-position switch, or through a sip/puff device
• The voter may adjust the volume and tempo of the audio
• Language Access is also a priority as the ExpressVote allows the voter to switch the language to Spanish

Yes. The federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) requires any new voting equipment to allow voters the opportunity to change their choices privately and independently before their ballot is cast and counted.

Please ask to speak with the Precinct Captain and report the matter/ individual immediately. While you are able to receive help with voting from an Election Day Worker or a person of your choosing, no person or official providing voter assistance should in any way influence or attempt to influence your choice in voting. Any person who violates this rule is subject to a $10,000 fine or imprisonment up to five years, or both, pursuant to DC Official Code § 1-1001.14(a).

The federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) requires that voters with disabilities be able to cast their vote privately and without assistance.
 
Each polling place has at least two accessible voting machines. These new voting machines use assistive and adaptive technology to provide the opportunity for voters with a wide range of disabilities to vote privately and independently.

Yes. Under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), moving to the front of the line when necessary would be a reasonable accommodation. If your disability prevents you from staying in line, let an Election Day Worker know and ask to be moved to the front of the line. If you choose to stay in line, however, the poll worker cannot make you move to the front of the line just because you have a disability.

No. Assuming you meet all other requirements to vote, you are eligible to vote unless there is a current and valid court order that indicates that a court has found you legally incompetent to vote. It is not up to an Election Day Worker to determine your competence to vote. Even if you have a guardian, you will still be allowed to vote as long as you are eligible.

Yes. You can vote in-person or by Absentee Ballot, as described above. Alternatively, if you are living at a licensed District of Columbia nursing home, assisted living facility, or federal medical center, you may register to vote, request an Absentee Ballot, and have your ballot hand-delivered by a Board employee to your facility or bedside. Please contact your nursing home administrator immediately if you would like to request an Absentee Ballot.

Yes. You may bring in Sample Ballots and other notes to assist you with voting, but you must take them with you when you leave.

Yes. You should contact the Board to have a replacement Absentee Ballot mailed to you.

If you are unable to vote in-person at an Early Voting Center or on Election Day, you may be able to request an Emergency Absentee Ballot.
 
An Emergency Absentee Ballot is made available on the sixth day leading up to an election. You must meet certain criteria to request this ballot from the Board. To vote an Emergency Absentee Ballot, you must fill out an Emergency Absentee Ballot Application. This form is available at the Board’s office at 1015 Half Street, SE, Suite 750 and can be downloaded from the Board’s website at www.dcboe.org.

An Emergency Absentee Ballot must be delivered and returned by a qualified registered voter. Any registered voter can complete the necessary forms with you to pick up a ballot, bring the ballot to you, and return your voted ballot to the Board’s office or to any polling place. You can do this only within the six days preceding an election and on Election Day. Your ballot must be returned by 8:00 pm on Election Day.

Yes. Having a disability is not grounds to bar an otherwise qualified person from serving as an Election Day Worker. There is an application process and a mandatory training class. If you need an accommodation, please contact the ADA Coordinator at (202) 727-2525 or TTY: (202) 639-8916. Sign language interpreters and other language access services are available upon request.

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