" SACRAMENTO, Calif. – While many Californians applauded the Secretary of State’s launch of the California Online Voter Registration (COVR) website last week, the disability community is concerned that the new system excludes individuals who use screen readers from completing the registration process. Immediately following the launch of www.registertovote.com, disability advocates with expertise in assistive technology tested the website and found that it was incompatible with JAWS, the most commonly used screen reader for people who are blind and visually impaired. Members of the Assistive Technology Network (ATNet) and the Systems Change Network (SCNet) at California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC) tested the site and then reached out to technical professionals and people with disabilities to test the website with a variety of browsers and versions of JAWS for a complete analysis. Teresa Favuzzi of CFILC noted, “Multiple testers were unable to complete the registration process; we believe the failure to ensure the accessibility of the on-line system violates the law.”
On National Voter Registration Day on September 25 several advocacy groups, including Disability Rights California (DRC), California Council of the Blind, the CFILC, Disability Rights Advocates, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, and the Disability Rights Legal Center, have asked the California Secretary of State's office, the agency in charge of elections, to immediately fix the accessibility problems and are awaiting their response. With less than six weeks until Election Day, two weeks until mail voting begins, and the looming October 22 voter registration deadline just 27 days away, ensuring that Californians with disabilities can register to vote using the same technology as other citizens is critical to their equal and full participation in the 2012 elections.
Earlier this year at Disability Capitol Action Day in Sacramento, one of the nation’s largest advocacy events, the keynote speaker, Secretary of State Debra Bowen, said, "I want to make the elections process as accessible as possible." She also described the Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee (VAAC) set up by her office to improve access to the polls for voters with disabilities. A Committee member said VAAC had not been consulted about the new electronic registration process.
On September 21 the National Disability Rights Network, based in Washington, D.C., issued a press release pointing out that people with disabilities are voting in greater numbers with every election. Based on a recent study by Rutgers University, 14.7 million Americans with a disability voted in 2008, up from 10.9 million in 2000. An estimated 35 million people with disabilities are eligible to vote in 2012 and could have a decisive impact on outcomes. The increase can be attributed to various factors, but progress in making the process more accessible has been crucial.
"We expect the Secretary of State's office to quickly address the technical issues to ensure Californians with disabilities can participate equally in online registration," stated Andrew Mudryk of DRC. "
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