Universal voting
Secure equipment
that fits all voters.
At Election Systems & Software (ES&S) we’re serious about accurately capturing the intent of every voter. We closely follow the guidelines set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure voting on our machines provides a simple, private and inclusive voting experience.
The ES&S ExpressVote family of products, including the ExpressVote® and ExpressVote XL™ Universal Voting Systems, has received high praise for the inclusiveness it brings to the election process. Both voting machines can be configured in several ways to serve every voter as fully compliant ADA voting solutions during early voting and on Election Day. On an ES&S Universal Voting System EVERYONE votes in the same private and independent manner.
Why ADA compliance?
Every voter counts, and according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), more than 35 million Americans with disabilities are eligible to vote in the United States. The Americans with Disabilities Act helps ensure fairness in the voting process for people with disabilities.
How we ensure accessibility.
ES&S follows all ADA requirements and works with voters with disabilities as well as advocates and experts in the field of accessibility to test our equipment firsthand. This valuable feedback helps guide our product development teams, and in turn, ensures EVERY voter can exercise their constitutional right to vote with anonymity on a universal voting system. To protect voter privacy, the printed vote summary card does not specify whether assistive devices were used to conduct a voting session.
Learn more about how we ensure accessibility here.
Our ADA-compliant products.
Our Universal Voting System product family allows every voter to cast a ballot privately, intuitively and accurately.
Voters can navigate ballot selections using the touch screen, detachable Universal Voting Console (UVC), audio-tactile keypad or ADA support peripherals. Each device offers an intuitive vote selection process through the use of screen prompts, symbols and optional audio.
Any of these features can be used by any voter without poll worker assistance. Voters can also verify the printed paper record using the same accessible devices they used when marking the ballot.
Make your Mark™
Accessibility features.
Developed using universal design principles and input from election officials and disability organizations, our ExpressVote and ExpressVote XL include the following accessibility features:
Seated- and standing-height configurations
To serve both seated and standing voters.
Adjustable on-screen high contrast and zoom functionality display settings
To make on-screen text more readable.
The voter has the option to blank the screen for privacy.
Audio ballot option
Audio ballots are available in the voter’s selected language.
Assistive technology connections and devices, as well as screen prompts, symbols and audio
To help voters navigate the vote selection process.
ADA Peripherals.
Each device offers an intuitive vote selection process through screen prompts, symbols and optional audio. Any of these features can be used by any voter without poll worker assistance. Voters can also verify the printed paper record using the same accessible devices they used when marking the ballot.
The ES&S ExpressVote family of products provides all voters, regardless of limitations, with the option to navigate ballot selections independently using various ADA support peripherals, including:
Headphones
Audio-tactile keypad with Braille legends
Sip-and-puff device
Two-position rocker switch
ES&S and advancing equal access.
ES&S is committed to helping jurisdictions navigate the Americans with Disabilities Act by answering the needs of all their constituents and monitoring developments from the U.S. Department of Justice and the EAC.
What election officals and voters are saying.
Voter quote
Jeanette, voter from VA, November 2016
“I just had the most WONDERFUL experience. I am totally blind, and I voted myself! I was in tears by the time I left the polling station – for the first time in years I VOTED without assistance.
THANK YOU! Because of you I have the capability of exercising my rights as a US Citizen … Because of you, I can vote right along my sighted peers without feeling ‘frowned’ upon. I am now an equal.”
In the news
(August 6, 2018). Blind Michigan voters may struggle with new voting machines. APNews.com
“In a 2016 test by 100 blind voters, the National Federation of the Blind in Michigan determined that most testers preferred the ES&S equipment — quadriplegia voters and those with brain injuries, gave the ES&S devices ‘high marks.'”
On the web
J.J. Meddaugh. (May 20, 2016). A Mock Election: We Tested 3 Modern Voting Machines for Accessibility. Blindbargains.com
“The Michigan Bureau of Elections held a mock election which allowed testers and poll workers to experience each of the machines and tabulate votes for both disabled and non-disabled voters.
Of the three systems tested, the ExpressVote is the only one I am comfortable recommending. Set-up was achieved independently by the voter, prompts were spoken efficiently, and a ballot could be completed using the fewest number of key presses.”