These Polling Accessibility Guidelines were designed with the California Department of Rehabilitation to help elections officials ensure that polling places are accessible to voters with disabilities to the extent possible.
It is important to note that these Guidelines do not make new law or impose new polling place accessibility requirements on county elections officials. Rather, they are a compilation of laws and regulations that county elections officials are required to adhere to, regardless of the existence of the Guidelines. Throughout the sections below, specific code citations are provided where the Guidelines require a specific action, so the underlying regulatory mandate can easily be found. In some cases, the mandates identified are new to the Guidelines, but are not necessarily new to the law.
If you have questions about the Guidelines, please send them to ppagcomments@sos.ca.gov or contact the Secretary of State's Elections Division at (916) 657-2166.
Complete Polling Place Accessibility Guidelines (pdf ~1.6MB)
(The Complete Polling Place Accesibility Checklist is also found in Appendix B)
Guidelines by Section
Guidelines Cover Page (pdf ~63KB)
Table of Contents (pdf ~18KB)
Overview of Polling Place Accessibility Requirements (pdf ~74KB)
1. The Parking Area (pdf ~108KB)
2. Path of Travel to the Polling Place (pdf ~126KB)
3. Doorways, Hallways, and Entrances (pdf ~85KB)
4. The Voting Area (pdf ~276KB)
5. Signage (pdf ~96KB)
6. Ramps, Curb-Ramps, and Slopes (pdf ~169KB)
7. Elevators and Lifts (pdf ~195KB)
8. Restrooms (pdf ~249KB)
Appendix A - Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (pdf ~29KB)
Appendix B - Polling Place Accessibility Checklist
Appendix C - California Building Codes (pdf ~322KB)
Appendix D - Possible Modification Techniques (pdf ~44KB)
Appendix E - Possible Accommodations on Election Day (pdf ~25KB)
