Accessible Voting in Connecticut
For the Tuesday, November 8, 2022 General Election in Connecticut
- Same day voter registration is available.
- You must have a specific reason (including disability) to vote by mail.
- Voters with disabilities can use an accessible vote-by-mail system.
Accessible Voting Tips
As a voter with a disability, you have a right to vote privately and independently, at an accessible voting location, on an accessible voting system.
If you need more information or assistance using your right to vote, these organizations can help
- Visit your state Voters with Disabilities Fact Sheet page or call (860) 509-6100 or 1(800) 540-3764 for the options available in your state.
- Contact your local election office for help voting and details about local support for accessible voting.
- Your local Center for Independent Living has information and other support.
- Call your state National Disability Rights Network (NRDN) Protection & Advocacy office if someone is interfering with your right to vote.
- If you are a first-time voter or moved recently, check the voter ID requirements in your state. VoteRiders has information about the types of identification accepted.
- You can also call 1-800-OUR-VOTE to report any problems voting.
Your rights
As a voter with a disability, you have a right to:
- Vote privately and independently
- At an accessible polling place
- Using an accessible voting system
If you need assistance you can:
- Ask an election worker, or
- Bring someone to help you
You may request your local election officials to tell you about any voting aids, voting assistance, and absentee ballot procedures that are available.
Election officials must make any reasonable accommodations you need to vote. This might include
- A place to sit if you have trouble standing
- A quiet, private place to vote
You cannot be refused the right to vote because an election worker thinks your disability means you are not qualified to vote.
Open the sections on this page to learn more about accessible options for early voting, voting in person on election day, and voting by mail.
Accessible voting features in Connecticut for voters with disabilities
- Check with your local election office to see if you can vote by mail for all elections.
- Voters with print disabilities can use an accessible vote-by-mail system.
Ask your local election office about other support for accessible voting, like:
- Curbside or drive-up voting, so you don’t have to get out of your car.
Learn more about the laws that protect your rights
Early voting is voting in person before Election Day, which is usually less crowded than going to vote on Election Day itself. There are different kinds of early voting, so check the options available for you. They might include:
- vote centers where you can vote at any location in your jurisdiction
- super polling places where you are assigned a location
- voting at an elections office or satellite office
- in-person absentee, where you go to an elections office, get your mail ballot, and then mark and cast it in the office.
Contact your local elections office for opportunities to vote in person before Election Day.
- All voters are asked to show identification.
- Voters without ID can sign an affidavit.
When you vote in person on Election Day, you go to a voting center to mark and cast your ballot in person. Every in-person voting location is required to have accessible voting systems available.
Polling places are open from 6 am to 8 pm.
- Same-day registration is available at designated Election Day locations.
- All voters are asked to show identification.
- Voters without ID can sign an affidavit.
- First-time voters are asked to show identification.
Find your polling place.
Accessible voting systems for in-person voting
The accessible voting systems used in Connecticut are shown below. Contact your local election office for more information or a change to practice using the system you will vote on.
Inspire Ballot Marking System and Vote-by-Phone
A ballot marking system.
- The Ballot Marking System uses a computer to mark and print a ballot. It has phone-style tactile buttons and audio. The ballot is cast at the polling place
- The Vote-By-Phone system uses a phone as a BMD, with the ballot printed and cast at a central location.
Learn more about using the Inspire
- Product flyer from Connecticut (PDF - may not be accessible)
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Voting by mail can be an accessible option for voters with disabilities. It lets you vote at home, so you can mark, verify and return a paper ballot privately and independently. Some states have emergency options if you are hospitalized or ill. |
Deadline to return your ballot:
Received by Election Day, November 8 for mailed ballots
OR
Delivered by November 7 for hand-delivered ballots
How to get your ballot
- Voters must have an excuse to vote by mail.
- Ask your local election office if voters with disabilities can request or receive a ballot for more than one election.
To get your ballot you can:
- Download, print, and mail a request form.
How to return your ballot
By mail
At a secure drop box
At a voting location on Election Day
Find a ballot drop-off location near you at your local elections website.
Make sure your ballot counts! Remember...
Return your ballot promptly. Postmarks don't count.
If you drop off your ballot, you must do so by the day before Election Day.
Put enough postage on the envelope.
Make sure your ballot is sealed in the envelope.
Sign the form on the envelope.
- A family member, household member, or caregiver can return your ballot for you. Contact your local elections office for more information.
- If someone helped you, have them complete the form for assistants.
Learn about accessible voting by mail options in the next card.
Accessible voting by mail allows voters with disabilities to mark a mail-in ballot electronically, using their own technology and assistive tools.
To use accessible tools for voting by mail, typically voters:
- Download an electronic ballot to mark using personal technology
- Print the ballot and any signature form
- Seal the ballot in an envelope
- Return it by mail or to a ballot drop off locatoin
Some states allow electronic return by email, fax, or a secure portal.
There is a statewide accessible vote by mail program in Connecticut called Accommodations for voters with print disabilities
- You can use accessible vote by mail if you have a disability that prevents you from marking a paper ballot.
Voters with print disabilities can request that a ballot be emailed to them as a PDF file.
- Request a ballot by email online.
- The town clerk sends a ballot packet without a paper ballot to the voter.
- The Secretary of State emails an accessible ballot to the the voter
Mark the ballot using a screen reader or other technology.
- Print the marked ballot and check it to be sure it is marked correctly.
Deadline to return your ballot:
Received by Election Day, November 8 for mailed ballots
OR
Delivered by November 7 for hand-delivered ballots
Returning a printed ballot
Follow the instructions that come with your ballot
- Put the ballot into the envelope that was sent to you
- Be sure to sign the inner envelope. The signature does not have to be in the correct spot to be accepted.
You can return your ballot:
- By mail
The systems in use in Connecticut for accessible voting by mail are:
Ask your local election office about the accessible vote by mail system you will use.
Learn more about accessible voting options in Connecticut