In 2022, New York rolled out a new accessible voting option for blind residents, allowing them to fill out their ballots electronically using screen reader technology. Roughly 1,000 people requested the accessible ballots for the 2022 general election, but blind voters say there are still issues that need to be worked out, such as the requirement to print and mail in the ballots.
Read MoreVoters with disabilities in Hawaii have more options for voting than in most other states. Electronic ballots in particular, which can be paired with assistive technology, allow voters more freedom and independence. Any voter with a disability can request a ballot be emailed to them as an HTML file. Voters must sign a privacy waiver and ballots have to be printed and signed. Hawaii is one of the few states that allows voters to scan their signed ballots and return them by email, as well as by mail or dropped in an official ballot box. More voter outreach is needed to make people aware of this option.
Read MoreEstonia’s i-Voting system is currently used by 46.7% of voters and allows them to vote from home using a government-issued smart card. To vote, residents need a computer with a card reader or can have their encrypted ID linked to their cell phone SIM card. They can track their vote with a QR code and are able to change their choices any time during the 10-day voting period. Estonia is currently the only country to use this method, in part because eroding government trust has prevented the use of centralized systems that track personal information.
Read MoreThe Inclusive Friends Association, in partnership with SIMBED Learners School and Nigeria's National Information Technology Development Agency, implemented a targeted digital literacy program that trained 20 women and girls with disabilities across Abuja. The two-day workshop taught participants essential digital skills including content creation, social media management, Google tools, online safety, and advocacy techniques to show them how to create content and potentially generate an income online.
Read MoreWisconsin's program to make voting and polling locations accessible for people with disabilities once garnered national attention, though it has since fallen behind where it used to be. The program called for an audit of voting locations every two years, and follow up action plans for inaccessible locations.
Read MoreFlowdiary is an e-learning platform that offers various digital skill courses in the Hausa language for free or at a very low cost. Flowdiary has more than 8,000 students enrolled across the country, training them in web development, graphic design and other digital skills that help them further their education and secure internships that help them advance their career opportunities.
Read MoreSome states are combining ranked choice voting, which asks voters to rank candidates by order of preference, with Final Five primaries where multiple candidates advance to the general election, rather than one candidate from each major party. After implementing both reforms, Alaska saw more women run for office than in the five previous elections, and an analysis of the system found it improved representation by giving voters more choice and encouraging candidates to appeal to a wider demographic.
Read MoreDisability rights activist Zan Thornton organizes a network of volunteer drivers in Georgia to help voters with disabilities get accessible rides to the polls. In 2021, they organized free transportation for more than 150 people and have helped more than 50 so far for the 2022 midterms.
Read MoreIn 2021, Massachusetts debuted a new election service that allows voters with disabilities to cast their ballots electronically through a secure web portal. Originally piloted in five municipalities, the system was used by six people last year and is now available statewide.
Read MoreOhio is among 11 states where voters are challenging newly-drawn political maps using algorithmic redistricting, a process that produces thousands of simulations to help show which of the potential maps are outliers and may be the result of gerrymandering. Based on this algorithmic evidence, an Ohio court ordered the state's redistricting commission to go back to the drawing board and come up with a fairer map.
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