Voters with Special Needs

The National Voter Registration Act, also known as the Motor Voter Act, came to be so that people could register to vote more easily. It was also written to help boost the number of minority voters and the number of voters with disabilities.

The Motor Voter Act requires all offices of state-funded programs that provide services to persons with disabilities to also provide them with voter registration applications, to assist them with completing the applications, and to send the completed applications to the proper state official. For more information, call 305-499-8363.

You can register to vote at the following locations:

• Department of Motor Vehicles Driver's License Offices
• Miami-Dade County Public Libraries
• Florida's Online Voter Registration System
• Miami-Dade County Elections Department

Any voter with a qualified disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has the option to receive an accessible vote-by-mail ballot by email. This type of ballot may make it easier to cast your ballot independently without the assistance of another person.

How to request an accessible vote-by-mail ballot?

• You can request an accessible vote-by-mail ballot online
• When requesting online, ensure the box labeled "Voters with Disabilities" has been checked
• Once the request has been processed, the voter will receive an email with a link to the accessible ballot
• If you're eligible for an election, your accessible ballot will then be available to you electronically. Once you have made all your preferred selections on the screen, you will be required to print the ballot from the site and return the accessible ballot by mail. Voters participating in the program will still receive a vote-by-mail packet by regular mail via the United States Postal Service that will include the paper ballot. You may choose to use the paper ballot sent with the vote-by-mail packet as an alternative or if you have an issue printing the electronic ballot
• Return only one ballot using the envelope provided
• Be sure to sign inside the red box on the outside of the envelope
• The ballot must be received by the Supervisor of Elections Office no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day
• You cannot electronically return your ballot under Florida Law. You can only receive the ballot electronically. It must be returned as described above
• An immediate family member may return the vote-by-mail ballot to the Elections Department or drop it off at a Secure Intake Station at any Early Voting Site

The Voting Rights Act has provisions that ensure that every voter can register to vote, easily enter and exit the polling location, and have easy access to a voting booth. Also, the Voting Rights Act requires that ballots don't discriminate against blind or visually impaired people.

• All polling places are equipped with at least one ADA touchscreen voting machine. Our ExpressVote ballot marking devices display your ballot on a screen and allow you to mark your ballot privately and independently, with the help of audio, enlarged text, braille, sip and puff, and other features
  • When you check in to vote, let the poll worker know that you would like to use the ExpressVote to mark your ballot
  • The poll worker will give you an ExpressVote ballot, and after you make your selections, the ExpressVote ballot with your selections will be printed and provided back to you
  • Then, you'll take your ExpressVote ballot and place it in the scanner to be tabulated. This is the same scanner that tabulates all the in-person ballots at that location. Review the tutorial on how to use the ExpressVote Voting Machine
• Voters may choose an individual to assist them with voting. Per Florida Statute 101.051 a voter who needs assistance to vote must fill out a Declaration to Secure Assistance. An election official can assist, but if the voter brings a person to provide assistance, that person must fill out a Declaration to Provide Assistance. Both of these forms are available at the voting location:
  • View a sample copy of a Declaration to Secure Assistance
  • View a sample copy of a Declaration to Provide Assistance

The Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act requires that voting locations are set up so that people with disabilities can enter, vote, and exit with relative ease during federal elections. The law also requires that telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDDs), which are also known as teletypewriters (TTYs), are available.

• All polling places are handicap accessible.
• Accessible telecommunication is available at 305-499-8480 (voice/TTY).

The Voting Rights Act requires that ballots don't discriminate against people who can't read English.

• All ballots and election-related materials are available in three languages: English, Spanish and Creole
• Polling places are staffed with bilingual workers to provide voter assistance
• Read the Voter Information Guide (Español) (Kreyòl)