Accessible Voting in Mississippi
For the Tuesday, November 8, 2022 General Election in Mississippi
- You must be registered to vote.
- You must have a specific reason (including disability) to vote by mail.
- Check to see if an accessible vote-by-mail system is available.
- All voters are asked to show a photo ID.
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 Y'all Vote page or call (601) 576-2550 or (800) 829-6786 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 Mississippi for voters with disabilities
- Check with your local election office to see if you can vote by mail for all elections.
- Check with your local election office to see if an accessible vote-by-mail system is available
Ask your local election office about other support for accessible voting, like:
- Election and voting information in large print, audio, or Braille versions.
- Curbside or drive-up voting, so you don’t have to get out of your car.
- Ballot delivery to your home or a “ride to the polls” program.
- An opportunity to practice using the accessible voting system.
- Emergency voting options if you are hospitalized or ill.
- How to get assistance in marking and casting your ballot.
- Other services or assistance for voters with disabilities.
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.
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 until 8:00 pm.
- All voters are asked to show a photo ID.
- Voters without ID can sign an affidavit.
You can drop off your mail ballot at your local elections office on Election Day.
Find your polling place.
Accessible voting systems for in-person voting
The accessible voting systems used in Mississippi are shown below. Contact your local election office for more information or a change to practice using the system you will vote on.
ES&S ExpressVote
A ballot marking device.
It has a touchscreen, audio, and tactile controls on a small keypad.
The printed ballot is a list of selections printed on a narrow card.
Ballots are cast at a separate scanner.
Learn more about using ExpressVote
- Short video tutorial from Pennsylvania (YouTube 1:53)
- Video from Michigan (You Tube 12:29)
- Information about ExpressVote from Pennsylvania
Hart InterCivic Verity Touch Writer
A ballot marking device.
It has a touchscreen, audio, and tactile controls using the Hart “move wheel.”
The printed ballot is a facsimile of a hand-marked paper ballot.
The ballot is cast at a separate scanner.
Learn more about using the Touch Writer
- Short video tutorial from Hart (YouTube 2:29)
- Longer instructional video from Michigan (YouTube 11:36)
- Information about Verity Touch Writer from Pennsylvania
- Verity Touch Writer product page from Hart InterCivic
Accuvote TSX
An electronic voting system.
It has a touchscreen, audio, and tactile controls on a small keypad.
Some systems have a paper record for review casting the ballot.
Learn more about using the AVC Edge without a paper record
- Video tutorial from Wisconsin Elections (YouTube 4:55 - open captions)
VotingWorks VxMark
A ballot marking system.
It has a touchscreen, keyboard, and audio ballot option.
The printed ballot has a list of the voter’s selections and a QR code.
Ballots are cast at a separate scanner.
Learn more about using the VxMark
- Case study - Marshall County, Mississippi(YouTube 1:41
- VxMark web site
|
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:
Postmarked by Election Day, November 8 and received by November 15.
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:
Request a form from your local elections office.
How to return your ballot
By mail
Make sure your ballot counts! Remember...
If you mail your ballot, make sure it is postmarked by Election Day.
Put enough postage on the envelope.
Make sure your ballot is sealed in the envelope.
Sign the form on the envelope.
Check with your local election office to see if a witness or notary must also sign your envelope.
- Ask your local elections office who can return your ballot for you.
- 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 no statewide accessible vote by mail program in Mississippi
Ask your local election office what options are available to help you vote by mail. For example:
- Home visits by election workers who can help you complete your vote by mail ballot.
Learn more about accessible voting options in Mississippi