Accessible Voting

It is your right to vote privately and independently. Please call the Inyo County election office at 760-878-0224 or email elections@inyocounty.us with questions or suggestions about accessible voting in Inyo County.

Voter Information

Inyo County Elections office is committed to ensuring all voters can participate in elections and provides various accessible programs and services to help voters cast their vote privately and independently. Four federal laws guide many of these programs and services:

Voting Rights Act of 1965
Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Help America Vote Act of 2002

Election Information

The Secretary of State’s Office provides multiple alternative versions of the State Voter Information Guide. Three different audio options are available; cassette and compact disc formats as well as a downloadable MP3 version. A large print guide is also available. These alternative formats are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.

If you or someone you know is interested in receiving copies of either the cassette, compact disc, or large-print version of the Voter Information Guide, free of charge, please call the Secretary of State’s Elections Division at (916) 657-2166 or visit their website.

For a downloadable audio version of the State Voter Information Guide, please visit the Secretary of State’s website .

Voting by Mail

Pursuant to AB 37, and Elections Code 3000.5, every registered voter will be mailed a ballot 29 days before each Election Day. Voting by mail, or absentee voting, gives all registered voters the opportunity to vote without having to travel to a voting location.

Remote Accessible Vote By Mail (RAVBM)

Voting service now available to all voters!

The RAVBM system allows voters with disabilities to download and mark their ballot privately and independently using their own assistive technology at home. Print a marked ballot and return it to the Elections Division to be counted. For additional information please visit Disability Rights California’s RAVBM demonstration video.

The ballot is provided in a screen-readable format as the system was designed to allow voters with disabilities to independently and safely access, mark and print their ballot. All registered voters are allowed to use the RAVBM option.

To request a RAVBM ballot, send an email to elections@inyocounty.us before each election. Include with your request the following information: Full name, date of birth, home address, and mailing address.

Signing Election Documents

If you are unable to sign your own name and have no other legal mark, make an “X,” if possible, on the signature line.

If you are unable to make an “X,” you must indicate in some manner to the person assisting you that you want to sign your name. The person helping you must sign the election form and attest that you indicated that you want to sign the election form.

Assistance on Election Day

You may request assistance for any reason, including but not limited to:

Physical impairment
Visual impairment
Lack of proficiency in reading the English language

If you are elderly or have a disability and your voting place is inaccessible, you may request that your ballot be brought to the entrance of the voting place.

California Elections Code 14282.

(a) If a voter is unable to mark a paper ballot or the ballot marking device, the voter shall receive the assistance of not more than two persons selected by the voter, other than the voter’s employer, an agent of the voter’s employer, or an officer or agent of the union of which the voter is a member.

(b) The county elections official shall provide information on the county elections internet website and in the county voter information guide informing voters that a voter who is unable to mark a ballot may bring up to two individuals to the polls to assist them in voting as specified in subdivision (a), and that a voter with a disability may vote a regular ballot outside a polling place in accordance with subdivision (d). The information shall be available in all languages for which the county has requirements under Section 14201 of this code and Section 203 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. Sec. 10101 et seq.).

(d) (1) A voter with a disability may appear outside the polling place and vote a regular ballot. The person may vote the ballot in a place that is as near as possible to the polling place and that is accessible to people with disabilities. A precinct board member shall take a regular ballot or ballot marking device to that person, qualify that person to vote, and return the voted ballot to the polling place.

(2) A precinct board member may satisfy paragraph (1) by only bringing a regular ballot outside to the voter if the county does not have the capability to bring the ballot marking device outside of the polling place.

(3) Signage shall be posted outside the polling place and adjacent to the area where the voter may appear to vote indicating that the option is available for a voter with a disability to vote there. The polling place shall establish a method for a voter with a disability to contact a precinct board member in order to vote outside the polling place, such as a posted phone number, doorbell device, or the stationing of a precinct board member outside the polling place.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 658, Sec. 2. (AB 545) Effective January 1, 2024.)

Accessible Voting Machines

Every polling location is required to have a voting machine that is ADA-compliant. These machines include features like audio ballots, large print/zoom features, and height and tilt adjustments on the screens. Please let the election workers know if you need assistance with the voting machine.

How to Use the Accessible Voting Machines

Any Inyo County voter can use a touchscreen electronic voting device to mark their ballot. This is a device designed for use by people who are unable to personally mark an optical scan ballot due to physical impairments or barriers.

No voting selection or personal information is stored on the accessible voting machines. Ballot options are printed by the voter to turn into the ballot box, and not saved to the unit.

To mark your ballot using the touchscreen ballot marking machine:

Insert the voting card given to you by the election officials into the voting machine. A voting technician is at the precinct to assist you if requested.
Review the instructions (audio options are available), hit Next to proceed to the ballot.
Make your candidate selections. Select candidates by touching their names, touch again to deselect. To vote for a write-in candidate, touch the Write-In line – a keyboard will appear. Type in the name of the candidate and touch the Record Write-In button to continue.
Use the Next and Previous buttons to navigate if your ballot is more than one page long.
Once you reach the last page of your ballot, a review screen automatically appears. This screen will list only the candidates and choices that you have selected to vote for.
To make changes, touch the screen for the desired contest and the page for that contest will automatically appear.
When you’ve finished reviewed your choices, touch the Print Ballot button.
Your selections will be recorded on a printed ballot.
When you are ready, return your voted ballot to the precinct officer to be placed into the ballot box. Please return the voting card to the precinct officer and they will give you an “I Voted” sticker.