1 / 8

Voter Assistance Guidelines: Ensuring Accessibility and Support

This training video, distributed nationwide, covers assisting voters in entering, preparing, and exiting voting booths. Voter assistance allows for familial or non-familial aid according to GS 163-166.8. The video emphasizes the importance of proper communication between voters and assistance providers, as outlined in Voter Assistance Regulation 8 NCAC 10B.0107. Prohibiting illiteracy tests and devices, it highlights the rights of non-English speakers under the Voting Rights Act.

fitzgerald-prince
Download Presentation

Voter Assistance Guidelines: Ensuring Accessibility and Support

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Sensitivity to Accessibilityand Voters Needing Assistance Don Wright SBOE General Counsel March 15, 2006

  2. NCSBOE Training Video • Used through out the country • Has been distributed in both a long (40 minute) and short (10 minute) version. • Still is very useful

  3. Voter Assistance GS 163-166.8 Allows assistance to voters who qualify as to • Entering the voting booth • Preparing the ballot • Exiting the voter booth

  4. Family Voter Assistance • § 163‑166.8.  Assistance to voters. (a)(1)       Any voter is entitled to assistance from the voter's spouse, brother, sister, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, mother‑in‑law, father‑in‑law, daughter‑in‑law, son‑in‑law, stepparent, or stepchild, as chosen by the voter.

  5. Non-Family Voter Assistance GS 163-166.8 (a)(2)       A voter in any of the following four categories is entitled to assistance from a person of the voter's choice, other than the voter's employer or agent of that employer or an officer or agent of the voter's union: a.         A voter who, on account of physical disability, is unable to enter the voting booth without assistance. b.         A voter who, on account of physical disability, is unable to mark a ballot without assistance. c.         A voter who, on account of illiteracy, is unable to mark a ballot without assistance. d.         A voter who, on account of blindness, is unable to enter the voting booth or mark a ballot without assistance.

  6. Voter needs to Communicate Desire for Assistance • (b)       A qualified voter seeking assistance in an election shall, upon arriving at the voting place, request permission from the chief judge to have assistance, stating the reasons. If the chief judge determines that such assistance is appropriate, the chief judge shall ask the voter to point out and identify the person the voter desires to provide such assistance. If the identified person meets the criteria in subsection (a) of this section, the chief judge shall request the person indicated to render the assistance.

  7. Voting Assistance Regulation 8 NCAC 10B.0107 • Conduct of Person Rendering Assistance • Communication Devices • Confidentiality of Voter’s Aided Choices • Regardless of possible violations, the voter shall be allowed to vote.

  8. Illiteracy • May not test voter for illiteracy. Tests and devices for voters to pass prior to voting prohibited by Voting Rights Act. 42 USC 1973aa-1a defines illiteracy” as failure to complete the 5th grade. • Illiteracy is based upon knowledge of English. Right of non-English speakers to enjoy voting found in Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act.

More Related