Election Day 2024 is rapidly approaching in the United States. While early voting is underway, the big day itself is Tuesday, November 5. As a citizen, you have the option to exercise your right to vote in person. If you choose to do so but require the use of a mobility product such as a power wheelchair or electric scooter, it’s important to understand your rights to ensure that resources are in place that allow you to cast your vote safely.
Here’s what you need to know as you prepare for Election Day.
Consider alternative options ahead of time.
While it’s your right to vote in person, there are alternatives that may be more convenient depending on your individual situation. Each state has “vote by mail” accommodations in place that allow you to cast your vote ahead of Election Day. You must complete a mail ballot application form and return it to your local election office, either in person or by mail.
Once you receive your ballot, follow the instructions to complete it and then return your ballot either by mail or at a drop off location near you. You can also request an absentee ballot if you’ll be traveling on Election Day or if it makes more sense for you to vote from home. Make a plan well in advance and consider all your options!
Your polling place is required to adhere to ADA standards.
The Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees accommodations for those in need of assistance. With respect to polling places, each one must be accessible to allow citizens to vote with the use of a wheelchair or scooter.
Additionally, there should be an individual at each location that should be familiar with accessibility protocol. It’s important to contact your local election office ahead of time to ensure that your polling place will adhere to the guidelines and standards that make it possible for you to cast your vote in person.
According to Vote.gov, examples of accessibility accommodations protected by law include:
- Service animal support
- Someone to help you vote (cannot be your employer or union representative)
- Handrails on all stairs at the voting location
- Accessible parking places
- Voting and election materials in large print
- Entrances and doorways at the voting location that are at least 32 inches wide
- Wheelchair-accessible voting locations, both inside and outside
- At least one accessible voting device at every location. These devices help voters who are blind, visually impaired, or have other accessibility needs.
- Poll workers to help you use accessible voting devices
What to expect when you arrive at your polling place.
If travelling to your polling place by car, there should be ample handicap parking made available close to where the voting booths are set up. Upon entering the building with your power wheelchair or electric scooter, ask a polling place official with whom you should speak about accommodations. They should be able to instruct you as to where you can go to check in and which voting booth would be best.
As mentioned earlier, contacting your election office ahead of time is highly recommended, as officials should be able to tell you if lower voting areas are available at your polling place. Our Jazzy Air® 2 and Jazzy Air® MED powerchairs can elevate you up to 12” and can assist in reaching a higher voting area, but if you don’t have an elevating mobility device, lower areas should be made available to allow you to vote from a seated position.
Which products are especially helpful for voting?
Pride Mobility® has a number of mobility solutions that are made specifically for navigating tight spaces and accessing certain areas. We mentioned our elevating powerchairs, the Jazzy Air 2 and Jazzy Air MED, as helpful options, and there are many more that can make your voting experience worry-free.
We recommend our portable products to take with you to the voting booth – the Jazzy® Carbon and Go Chair® have a small footprint and are perfect for getting around. Many of our Go Go® travel scooters boast a narrow turning radius, especially our Go Go Elite Traveller® 2, which can navigate like a 3-wheel while providing the stability of a 4-wheel. Our new Go Go® Carbon takes up very little space and weighs just 35 pounds without the battery, making it another great choice.
Many of these options also possess a swivel seat, so that you don’t have to drive straight up to the booth but rather approach from the side and swivel so that you’re as close to the voting area as possible.
Some other factors to consider.
If going to vote in person, think about the “peak times” when most might be arriving. Typically, just before and just after traditional work hours are the busiest for polling places. If you’re hoping to avoid a big crowd, consider going in the middle of the day.
Some polling places generate more traffic than others, so running into big crowds may be unavoidable, depending on where you live. If you anticipate waiting in line for an extended time, make sure your unit is fully charged before leaving your residence. For additional helpful information regarding in-person voting with a power wheelchair or electric scooter, visit Vote.gov.