Voting is fundamental to American democracy, but for voters with disabilities, being able to exercise their right to vote independently and with dignity can still depend on whether a machine works, whether a polling location is accessible and on the training of poll workers.
For Dr. Sharon McLennon Wier, voting was never as simple as walking into a polling location and casting a ballot with dignity.
Wier, who lives in Dutchess County, is the executive director of Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY). She is blind and has been voting since she was 18. But it was not until last year, when she was in her mid-50s, that she was able to vote independently.
For years, Wier depended on sighted people to take her to polling locations, read her ballot, and help her mark it. Ballot-marking devices, which are designed to allow voters with disabilities to mark paper ballots privately and independently, were sometimes unavailable or not working properly leading to hours-long wait times when she went to vote.
In 2024, Wier encountered another malfunctioning device at her polling place. After speaking with CIDNY’s general counsel, the organization contacted the Dutchess County Board of Elections. Wier said the county subsequently changed its approach to purchasing voting machines, moving toward machines that could be equipped with universal ballot marking devices.
The following year, Wier voted independently for the first time.
Her experience reflects a larger issue that Disability Voting Rights Week seeks to highlight. Held Sept. 14-18 this year, the national week is a nonpartisan movement hosted by the American Association of People with Disabilities and REV UP that focuses on advocacy, community and building political power among people with disabilities.
New York law and election guidance provide voters with disabilities several ways to access the ballot. The New York State Board of Elections says voters have the right to vote privately and independently, as well as the right to accessible polling places and voting machines. Ballot-marking devices can include audio and tactile interfaces, adjustable text and contrast, headphones and connections for devices such as Sip-N-Puff systems, which work by blowing into the device through a tube.
But advocates and organizations that work with people with disabilities say accessibility can involve much more than whether a machine is available.
Wier said she encountered polling places with stairs but no ramp, polling locations on upper floors without elevators, missing equipment for ballot-marking devices and poll workers who did not know how to operate the machines.
“My time is valuable just like anyone else’s time,” Wier said during our interview. “It shouldn’t be that I have to wait over two hours to vote.”
A clear ballot machine at the Nassau County Board of Elections.
Photo credit: Eliana Park.
At Brightway Living and Learning, which primarily serves people in Suffolk County, transportation to the polling locations is one of the biggest barriers they see. Getting residents to polling places is not always easy, and without transportation, some people may not be able to vote at all.
The environment inside a polling place can also create difficulties. Sherry McKeown, the Administrative Director of Adult Day Services at Brightway, said some polling locations can be loud, crowded or overwhelming, particularly for people who are sensitive to noise or temperature.
Language and reading comprehension can create another barrier. Some people supported by Brightway have difficulty reading or understanding written language and may need significant assistance completing voter registration documents.
The organization recently worked with the Suffolk County Board of Elections on an event that allowed people supported by Brightway to practice using new voting machines before encountering them at a polling place. The goal was to reduce anxiety by allowing participants to know what to expect.
Nassau County is also making changes to its voting equipment. Danielle Asher of the Nassau County Board of Elections said the county is replacing its AutoMARK ballot-marking devices with ClearMark machines.
The state Board of Elections describes the ClearMark as a ballot-marking device that allows voters with disabilities to vote privately and independently on paper ballots. It includes audio and tactile interfaces, adjustable screen size and contrast, headphones, paddles and Sip-N-Puff compatibility. Nassau is listed by the state as a Clear Ballot county.
Asher said Nassau plans to have a ClearMark in every polling location for both early voting and Election Day.
Poll workers are trained to assist voters, Asher said. If a ballot-marking device breaks, bipartisan poll workers can read the ballot to a voter upon request without directing the voter toward a particular candidate or choice. Voters can also bring their own assistant, who must agree not to influence the voter’s decisions.
The state Board of Elections similarly says poll workers are trained to treat voters with dignity, communicate effectively and offer assistance for access needs. Voters with print disabilities can also apply for an accessible ballot that can be completed using accessible features at home.
For Wier, however, having policies and equipment is only part of the solution. The equipment must work, polling places have to be accessible and poll workers need to know how to help.
CIDNY conducts polling-site accessibility surveys during elections, collecting information about barriers encounter and sharing reports with government and election officials.
Wier said the continued need for those surveys raises a larger question about how quickly problems are being fixed.
“There’s a lot more that needs to be done,” she said.
For her, the goal is ultimately simple: a voter with a disability should not have to depend on someone else to make their voice heard.
And as Wier put it “anyone can be disabled one day.”
Eliana Park is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom program for students and local media.