Accessible Voting Technology Research Workshop
Call for Participation

The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are sponsoring a two day workshop to explore current and future research in accessible voting technology. The sponsoring organizations seek to have lively discussion on the following topics:

• Innovative assistive applications and techniques
• New approaches to accessibility in voting
• Accessibility research benchmarks and results
• Transitioning research to industry
• New and existing devices that provide accessible access to elements of the voting process
• Challenges in accessible voting

The workshop will provide an environment for interactive discussions among the attendees including researchers, election officials, government officials, and voting system manufacturers. The workshop will encourage attendee participation through panel discussions and breakout sessions, with trending research presentations to frame the topics to be explored. The goal of the discussions for the workshop is to foster collaborations in the testing, evaluation, and transition of accessible voting technology.

Preliminary Agenda [pdf] 

Poster and Demonstration Session

Individuals proposing demonstrations should include a description of any special needs. In general, submitters are expected to be responsible for all materials necessary to conduct their presentation, but symposium organizers will attempt to make reasonable accommodations on a case-by-case basis.

Submitters of accepted poster proposals must prepare all poster materials in advance of the workshop, and bring all printouts and illustrations. Posters should not exceed 4’ by 3’ (1.21m by .091m).

Important Dates

Abstracts due: Friday, March 8, 2013

Registration deadline: March 25, 2013

Workshop: April 1-2, 2013

Related Project(s) and information:

NIST and the Help America Vote Act

EAC and NIST: Improving Voting for People with Disabilities  

In FY 2009 and FY 2010, Congress appropriated $8,000,000 to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to support an accessible voting technology research program to help ensure that all citizens can vote privately and independently. From these funds, in 2010, the EAC awarded the Military Heroes Initiative, a $500,000 grant focused on improving the elections process for wounded warriors. The grantee delivered their findings for this initiative during the summer of 2012. In 2011, the EAC awarded the Accessible Voting Technology Initiative, two three-year grants totaling $7,000,000 targeting greater voting accessibility for all citizens.  

According to recent government statistics, there are more than 57,000,000 people with a disability living in the United States.  The U.S. also faces a rapidly approaching demographic shift to an older population, which will result in an increase in the incidence of disability. The "Help America Vote Act" disability requirements, specifically Section 301 recognized the necessity for dramatically improving the voting process for people with disabilities and these grants help further this vital mission.