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Purpose: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:
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. Poster and Demonstration Session The workshop will include a poster and demonstration session held on the first day of the workshop. Workshop participants with novel accessible voting system technologies are highly encouraged to present a poster and/or demonstration for this session. Participants should indicate their presentation interests for this session in the email sending your abstract (see Agenda section above).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. |
Details: Start Date: Monday, April 1, 2013
End Date: Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Location: NIST-Gaithersburg, MD - Administration Building/Portrait Room
Audience: Industry, Government, Academia
Format: Workshop
Sponsor(s):Registration:All attendees must be pre-registered to gain entry to the NIST campus. Photo identification must be presented at the main gate to be admitted to the conference. International attendees are required to present a passport. Attendees must wear their conference badge at all times while on the campus. There is no on-site registration for meetings held at NIST. Registration will close at 5:00pm EST, March 25, 2013. There are no registration costs to attend the workshop. Registration is not required to view the webcast. Webcast The event will be webcast live April 1-2, 2013. A link to the webcast will be available here in on those dates. Accommodations: Workshop registration does not include your hotel reservation; however, a block of rooms has been reserved at the Holiday Inn. 2 Montgomery Village Ave Gaithersburg, MD 20879 (301) 948-8900
Reference/Room Block: NIST/Accessible Voting Technology Workshop Room Rate: $125.00 + tax Reservations must be made by March 18, 2013 airports, directions, public transportation |