How do I vote if I have a disability?

By Sarah Donovan-Granite State News Collaborative

The New Hampshire Constitution requires that all polling locations be accessible for all persons and for absentee voting to be obtainable for any person who wishes to vote but is unable to do so in person due to a disability.

If you wish to vote in person and have a disability, according to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, each polling location must comply with the act and offer accessible options according to the New Hampshire secretary of state’s website.

Accessibility features of a polling location typically must include: a van accessible parking spot if a parking lot is present at the polling location; a clear and steady path from the accessible parking spot to the building’s entrance; a ramp or elevator, if there is a significant change in elevation from the parking area to the designated voting location; a building that is clearly marked with an accessible entrance, which must accommodate a wheelchair or be easily able to be accessed by a person with a disability; no obstructions from the route of the accessible entry door to the clearly marked polling location; a voting booth that is accessible with a table or shelf; and tabletop voting screens that provide accessible audio and touchscreen settings that allow a voter to mark a ballot while sitting at a table must be present.

If assistance is needed in marking a voter’s ballot at the polling location, an election official or an individual of the voters choosing may mark their ballot for them, under oath of the moderator that the voter needs assistance in marking their ballot and has been alerted of accessible options of the polling location.

Transportation can be provided through NH RideShare, a free “ride-matching service.” Once you sign up, you can be eligible for carpool matches if available and possible transportation. Learn more about Rideshare here. NH Transit is also a transportation option, where all vehicles are made accessible. Click here to learn more.

If I cannot vote in person, but want to vote, what should I do?

If you cannot vote in person due to a disability, you may vote with an absentee ballot, which allows you to cast your vote and send it in through the mail or have it delivered by hand if you are unable to vote at a physical polling location.

Absentee ballot applications can be acquired from a town or city clerk’s office.

If you have not registered to vote yet but plan to cast an absentee ballot, you can ask for absentee registration forms and instructions from your local town clerk prior to casting your vote.

If you are already registered, you must fill out an absentee ballot application and a corresponding “physically disabled” absentee voter registration affidavit to vote via absentee ballot. The application and affidavit are required to be written with a No. 2 pencil, and returned back to your local town clerk.

Deadlines for absentee ballots

Absentee ballots that have been cast must be returned by mail or in person to your local town clerk by 5 p.m. by mail on Election Day, or in person by 5 p.m. the day prior to the election.

If you need assistance based on a print disability, you can request an application for an Accessible Electronic Absentee Ballot. To learn more about casting an absentee ballot and accessibility options, visit the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Absentee Ballot webpage.

If you believe your voting rights are being infringed, speak to your local town moderator or contact the Attorney General’s Office at (866) - 868- 3703. To learn more about your civil voting rights, visit the U.S. Department of Justices’ Civil Rights Division website.

The Know Your Vote, youth voter guide project was designed, reported and produced by student and young professional journalists from The Clock,The Concord Monitor, The Equinox, Granite State News Collaborative, The Laconia Daily Sun, The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript and The Presidency and the Press program at Franklin Pierce University. See the full guide at collaborativenh.org/know-your-vote

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