Many precincts offer two types of voting machines: a “normal” machine and an accessible machine. Some voters, such as older adults and recently injured individuals, may not realize that they need an accessible voting machine. If they attempt to use an inaccessible voting machine, they will experience difficulty.
A solution to this problem is to employ a single type of voting machine that is accessible to all users. The authors conducted a series of usability and prototypes studies to identify possible solutions.
The EZ Access keypad, developed by the University of Wisconsin, is a promising solution. It is a simple, wired controller that can be plugged into a voting machine. A system that employs an EZ Access keypad, speech input, and audio output could be highly accessible.
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