The Arc of Delaware, the Disabilities Law Program of Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. (CLASI), and the League of Women Voters of Sussex County, wish to share resources that are available to help eligible Delawareans with disabilities prepare for the Nov. 5 General Election.

Over 20% of adults in Delaware have a disability, and studies show that they are less likely to cast a ballot due to multiple barriers, including misinformation about the voting process.

Resources and accommodations are available at all steps of the voting process to help ensure that voting is accessible for all Delawareans with disabilities.

Early Voting is an option for all registered voters. The Early Voting period began on Oct. 25 and runs through Nov. 3. Eligible voters can vote at any designated early voting site in their county of residence. For a list of the Early Voting sites and hours of operation, visit elections.delaware.gov/elections/votinglocations.shtml. 

The Department of Elections can issue absentee ballots in-person at the county elections office in the voter’s county of residence until noon Nov. 4.

The Department of Elections can also issue absentee ballots electronically (by fax or email) to voters who requested the electronic delivery option, and who are voting absentee due to illness, disability, or because they are overseas, until noon Nov. 4.

An absentee ballot can be returned by dropping it off at the Department of Elections office in the county of residence. Absentee ballots must be in the possession of the county elections office by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5 to be counted.

Additionally, voters with disabilities who request electronic delivery of their absentee ballot can fill out their ballot electronically using their own technology and can submit their absentee ballot by email.  Alternatively, an absentee ballot received electronically can be printed out, completed, and dropped off in person. For more information, visit elections.delaware.gov/voter/absentee/.

For a video reviewing the absentee voting process, visit youtube.com/watch?v=iGbLQvL2T7k.

When voting in person on Election Day, accommodations are available for people with disabilities. First, each polling place should be physically accessible, with accessible parking and an accessible route to the voting machines.

Each polling place is required to have at least one accessible voting machine. In Delaware, the ExpressVote XL machine has a number of built-in accessibility features. Additionally, at least one machine will have the Universal Voting Console (UVC) to assist voters who would like to hear the ballot read to them and vote via the UVC. 

The Department of Elections has a video explaining these accessibility features that voters might find helpful to watch in advance, and poll workers have been trained on how to help voters access these features. Learn more and watch the video at essvote.com/accessible-expressvote-xl/.

When arriving at their polling place, voters with disabilities should tell poll workers that they want to use the accessible voting machine. Voters also have the option to take a person of their choice into the voting area to assist them with voting, if the person is not their employer or union representative. In Delaware, having a guardianship order is not disqualifying for voting, unless the court order clearly says so.

If any voters with disabilities encounter any difficulty accessing their polling place or voting in the manner they choose, there is help available on Election Day.   
For assistance, contact CLASI’s Disabilities Law Program at 800-292-7980 or 302-856-2027 or jkingsley@declasi.org; ASL Voter Hotline by the National Association of the Deaf at 301-818-VOTE (301-818-8683) or nad.org/voter-information; Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE (English), text 1-866-687-8683, chat 866ourvote.org, Spanish 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA, Asian languages 1-888-API-VOTE, or Arabic 1-844-YALLA-US; and Delaware Voting Rights Coalition at aclu-de.org/en/voter-guide2024.

Department of Elections