Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee (VAAC) Meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 24, 2024, at 11:00 AM.

 

If you have questions, email the Registrar of Voters at vca@acgov.org, or call us toll-free at 1(800) 834-6454.

  

For information on the Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee (VAAC) please visit the VAAC page.

 

The Alameda County Registrar of Voters' Office is committed to providing the fundamental right to all voters by ensuring they can vote independently and privately.

Remote Accessible Vote by Mail

A Remote Accessible Vote by Mail system is a ballot delivery option that allows all voters to access their ballot using any computer with internet access. Voters have the option to use their assistive devices to read and mark the ballot outside of a polling place, and then print and return it to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office. 

Official ballots will be available through the Remote Accessible Vote by Mail portal beginning 29 days before every election. They can be accessed by logging into My Voter Profile.

Pre-Election Day

Voter Information Guide

  • Voter Information Guide is mailed to all registered voters at approximately 5 weeks before every election. The guide includes a sample ballot and may include candidate and measure information.

Election Day Results

Results for all current elections can be found by clicking this link. 

Voter Information Guide - Formats

  • The Registrar of Voters office provides the Voter Information Guide in an accessible format on our Voter Profile page.
  • To request a Voter Information Guide in these formats, please call (510) 272-6933.
  • The Secretary of State's office provides the State Voter Information Guide in large print format and on audiocassette.

Early Voting

  • Beginning 29 days before an election, the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office serves as a Vote Center during regular hours, 8:30am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday and from 7:00am to 8:00pm on Election Day. In addition, there may be weekend voting hours for a Primary and General Election; please contact our office at (510) 272-6973 for more information on weekend hours.

 

ACVOTE On The Go

The ACVOTE On The Go Program partners with facilities and administration offices to coordinate sending a team to assist voters with receiving, marking the ballot, and returning the ballot for voters who are:

  • hospitalized
  • voters with disabilities
  • or confined to their homes due to a medical emergency
  • Sign up for the On The Go Program: (510) 272-6973 or onthego@acgov.org 

 

Election Day

Accessible Voting Machine

  • Alameda County voters have the option to use an accessible touchscreen voting machine designed to assist voters with disabilities to vote independently and privately. The accessible voting machine provides two options for voters to cast a ballot.
  • Voters can make ballot selections using a touchscreen and review their selections on a paper record before casting their vote. The touchscreen also features an option to enlarge the text size on the screen.
  • The accessible voting machine also provides an audio ballot feature that allows voters to listen to instructions and ballot selections while voting. The audio feature is available in English, Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

Accessible Voting Booths

  • Designated accessible voting booths are available at every Vote Center in Alameda County, where a voter who uses a wheelchair can easily access the booth and vote.

Assistance with Voting

  • Any voter who needs help in marking a ballot can request assistance.
  • An Election Worker can provide assistance or the voter may select a person of his or her choice.
  • Assistance may include reading the ballot to the voter and/or marking the voter's choices.
  • Assistance may be provided to the voter using a paper ballot or with the Accessible Voting Machine.

Curbside Voting

  • If you are unable to enter your Vote Center because of age or physical disability, you will be allowed to vote either in your vehicle or near the Vote Center. For more information, please contact our office at (510) 272-6933.

Voters with Vision Impairments

  • Magnifying devices are available at every Vote Center for voters who may have difficulty reading the ballot.

 

Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee

The Alameda County Registrar of Voter’s office staff meets quarterly with its Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee to discuss improvements being made to improve access to voting independently and privately. Anyone who is interested in attending these meetings can contact the Registrar of Voter’s office at (510) 383-1717.

 

Website Accessibility Policy for the Registrar of Voters for Alameda County

 

General Policy.

It is the policy of the Registrar of Voters for Alameda County (“the Registrar”) to ensure that persons with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to benefit from the goods, services, privileges, advantages, and accommodations offered by the Registrar through his website. The Registrar provides effective communication with persons with disabilities, and ensures that individuals with disabilities are not excluded from them by the Registrar’s policies, standards, criteria, or methods of administration.

 

Web Accessibility.

The Registrar provides online content in the following manner to ensure it is accessible to individuals with disabilities on its website:

 

  • All new web pages, web applications, and content published to the Registrar’s website for public use shall conform to the Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (“WCAG”) 2.1 (June 5, 2018), published by the World Wide Web Consortium (“W3C”).

 

  • The Registrar provides a notice, prominently and directly linked from his website’s homepage, soliciting feedback from visitors on how accessibility can be improved and providing contact information for staff members knowledgeable concerning this policy.

 

  • The Registrar annually distributes this Policy to all personnel that design, develop, maintain, manage, or otherwise have responsibility for the content and format of his website.

 

  • The Registrar has designated and publicized his Digital Services Team as the department that is knowledgeable concerning WCAG 2.1 AA and web accessibility generally, is available as a resource for employees and contractors who create, post, or modify website content, and is available as a public point of contact for information technology accessibility issues.

 

  • The Registrar ensures that his Digital Service Team members and County IT personnel who work with the Digital Services Team on his website receive at least annual training on web accessibility. The Registrar also ensures that contractors who perform work on his website are familiar with WCAG 2.1 AA.

 

  • The Registrar regularly conducts automated tests of his website for compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA. He also annually conducts both manual testing of his website for compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA and enlists individuals with a variety of disabilities to test his website for accessibility.

 

  • The Registrar has retained WebAIM as a Web Accessibility Consultant to annually evaluate his website for conformance with WCAG 2.1 to the Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and other Conformance Requirements, and the requirements of this Policy. Each year, the Web Accessibility Consultant prepares a written report based on the evaluation, which identifies any barriers and provides recommendations to enhance the accessibility of the Registrar’s website.

 

Compliance with the Policy.

The Registrar requires employees and contractors to comply with this policy.