I am pleased to introduce legislation to improve the voting process for millions of elderly Americans and persons with disabilities.  In every election year, many of these people stay home from the polls, not from apathy, but from concern about their ability to cast a vote independently.  The elderly and the visually impaired may not be able to decipher small print or confusing ballots, and people in wheelchairs may have difficulty maneuvering in older voting booths.  

Unfortunately, this problem is pervasive throughout the United States.  With nearly 1 in 5 Americans having some level of disability and approximately 35 million Americans over the age of 65, we must act now to ensure that our voting system is accessible to all Americans.

To ensure that Americans are not discouraged from voting because of outdated voting equipment and inaccessible polling places, I am introducing the Voting Opportunity through Technology and Education, or VOTE, Act.  This measure would require the Federal Election Commission to establish voluntary accessibility and ease-of-use standards for polling places and voting equipment.  

In 1984, Congress passed the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act.  This legislation required that all polling places in the United States be made accessible to the elderly and the disabled, but provided the FEC with little enforcement power.  With the establishment of new accessibility and ease-of-use standards in my VOTE Act, the FEC would be able to provide secretaries of state and elections administrators with more information and support services to help them comply with accessibility laws.  Additionally, the voting technology industry could use these standards to ensure that their products may be correctly used by all Americans at the polls.  Finally, the VOTE Act would provide grants to states so that they may improve their voting systems and educate poll workers and voters about the availability and benefits of new technologies.

I know first-hand how modern voting systems can increase voter turnout and improve accuracy.  As secretary of state in Rhode Island, I was the chief architect of a plan to upgrade the state’s voting system and equipment.  The replacement of outdated lever machines with optical scan equipment and Braille ballots helped increase voter turnout and significantly reduced chances of error.  

To highlight this equipment as well as other innovative voting technologies now available, I am joining former secretaries of state in Congress – the gentleman from Missouri, Mr. Blunt, and the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Brown – in hosting a voting technology demonstration on Thursday, March 22.  We will address our own work at the state level to improve voting accessibility and accuracy, and demonstrate the various forms of election equipment, including punchcard ballot, optical scan, and direct recording electronic systems.  

I encourage all of my colleagues to attend this educational event, as it will help prepare us for a nationwide discussion of election reform. Additionally, I ask that my colleagues join me in supporting the VOTE Act to make voting – one of the greatest expressions of civic participation – available on an equal basis to all Americans.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.