Four federal laws guide the Department’s accessible programs and services:

Voting Rights Act of 1965, which among many other provisions, mandates that any voter requiring assistance may receive it from a person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer, or officer or agent of the voter’s union.

Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984, which promotes the fundamental right to vote by requiring “access for elderly and disabled individuals to registration facilities and polling places”.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which requires public entities to provide auxiliary aids and services where necessary to afford an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate in and enjoy the benefits of service, program or activity conducted by a public entity.

Help America Vote Act of 2002, which among other things, enables greater opportunity for access and participation in the election process, including provisions regarding accessible voting systems at each polling place.

One month before every election, San Francisco voters receive a Voter Information Pamphlet and Sample Ballot (VIP) with information about local candidates and ballot measures. For statewide elections, voters also receive a Voter Information Guide (VIG) with information about state and federal offices and state ballot measures.

Both the VIP and VIG are available in several accessible formats.

• To access an audio MP3, HTML, XML, or PDF VIP, go to sfelections.org/vip.
• To request a large-print, audio on CD, USB, or National Library Service (NLS) cartridge VIP, call (415) 554-4375/TTY: (415) 554-4386.
• To access an American Sign Language or PDF VIG, go to  voterguide.sos.ca.gov/asl/.
• To request a large-print or audio VIG, call (800) 833-8683/TTY/TDD: (916) 657-2166 or go to  voterguide.sos.ca.gov/en/alt-versions/.

To stop mail delivery of your VIP and receive it by email instead, or to stop mail delivery of your VIG, you may submit your request using the Voter Portal or contact the Department of Elections. You may also request to resume delivery if you have previously stopped it.

All polling places and Voting Centers have accessible ballot-marking devices.

The ballot-marking device allows voters to navigate through their ballots using features such as:

• Touchscreen tablet with options to change text and background colors and the text size
• Braille-embossed handheld keypad (audio-tactile interface)
• Headphones and audio instructions in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, and Filipino

The device is compatible with a number of assistive devices. Voters may bring in their own assistive devices, including sip-and-puff systems, paddles, and head-pointers.

Voters using the ballot-marking device have the option to view or hear a summary of their choices and change any selections before printing their ballots.

The ballot-marking device only marks a ballot; it does not count votes. The device generates and prints a paper ballot with the voter’s selections. The ballot is then scanned through the Ballot-Scanning Machine at the polling place for tabulation.

To learn more about San Francisco’s voting system, visit the Voting System page.

An accessible vote-by-mail system is a ballot delivery option that allows voters with disabilities to access their ballot using any computer with internet access. Voters may download and mark their ballot privately and independently using their own assistive technology, print their marked ballot, and mail it to the Department of Elections to be counted. For more information, go to the Accessible Vote-by-Mail page.

To meet the needs of all San Francisco voters, the Department offers a variety of tools, services, and assistive technologies on Election Day, and continually evaluates and seeks to improve polling place accessibility.

Entryways and Voting Areas

On Election Day, “Accessible Entry” signs are posted outside polling places to direct voters towards the accessible entrance to the polling place. For the November 8, 2016 Election, 100% of Polling Places in San Francisco were designated as compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act requirements for accessibility to voters, and the Department strives for 100% accessible designation in every election. To learn more about how the Department determines polling place accessibility,  view this short video.

To confirm whether your polling place has an accessible entrance and voting area, check the back cover of your Voter Information Pamphlet for the international symbol of access, use the Polling Place and Sample Ballot Lookup Tool, or call (415) 554-4375. Teletypewriter (TTY) users may also call (415) 554-4386.

If your polling place is not accessible, you may choose to vote at a nearby accessible polling place. Use the Polling Place and Sample Ballot Lookup Tool or contact the Department to find the nearest accessible polling place that has the same ballot as your precinct.

Seated Voting

The Department offers chairs and designated wheelchair accessible voting booths at all polling places and the City Hall Voting Center. The international symbol of access is posted on accessible voting booths so that they can be easily identified by voters.

Voting Tools

All polling places provide large-print instructions on how to mark a ballot, optical sheets to magnify the print on the paper ballot or other election materials, and pen attachments to make the writing utensils easier to grip.

Personal Assistive Devices

The Department can also dispatch a head-pointer or a multi-user sip/puff device to a polling place on Election Day upon request. If you would like to request such device to be available at your polling place, please contact the Department using the contact form, or call (415) 554-4375. You may also contact the Department using TTY service by calling (415) 554-4386.

Personal Assistance

The Department trains poll workers to ask all voters if they would like to receive assistance related to voting. Poll workers may assist with reading the ballot to the voter and/or marking the voter’s choices on the ballot. Alternatively, a voter may bring up to two people to help them vote, except for the following people:

• Your employer
• An agent of your employer
• An agent of your union

No one that helps the person vote can tell that person how to vote or tell others how the person voted.

Curbside Voting

Any voter who cannot access a polling place or the City Hall Voting Center may request to vote “curbside.” A voter can either call (415) 554-4375 or have a passenger or a friend enter the polling place or the City Hall Voting Center and give the voter’s information to a poll worker or a staff member.

When notified that someone has requested curbside voting, a poll worker or a staff member will bring the necessary materials and the ballot to the voter and assist the voter, if necessary. When the person finishes voting, the person returns the ballot, which is then placed by a poll worker or a staff member into a voting machine or a secure, sealed ballot container.

 Watch a video on curbside voting.

To schedule curbside voting call (415) 554-4375, TTY (415) 554-4386, or email SFVote@sfgov.org.

The Department provides additional accessible voting options and services to ensure all voters are able to cast their ballot privately and independently.

City Hall Voting Center

The City Hall Voting Center is open to all San Francisco voters starting 29 days before every election and offers the same accessible voting options that are available at San Francisco polling places, including accessible voting machines, page-sized magnifiers, foam pen grips to make the writing instruments easier to grip, wheelchair accessible voting booths, seated voting, curbside voting, materials in large print. In addition, the Department offers American Sign Language Interpretation via video at the City Hall Voting Center.

The City Hall Voting Center is located on the ground floor of San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 48 and is accessible from all four entrances. Visit the Vote at the City Hall Voting Center page for more information.

Voting by Mail

Approximately one month before each election, the Department of Elections automatically mails ballots to all locally registered voters. Along with their ballots, voters receive voting instructions with information about election deadlines, ballot return options, and a reminder that voters can track the status of their ballots using the Voter Portal.

Voters can return their voted ballot to the Department using the postage-paid return envelope enclosed in the Vote-by-Mail ballot packet. Ballots can be returned in person to the City Hall Voting Center or any of the 34 official ballot drop boxes beginning 29 days before the election, or to any polling place in California on Election Day. Voters may also authorize someone to return a ballot on their behalf. For more information about voting by mail, visit the Vote by Mail page

Ballot Delivery Program

Approximately two weeks before the election up until Election Day, the Department facilitates ballot pick up and delivery. Any voter may authorize a person to pick up and return a ballot on his or her behalf. Voters may use the Ballot Pickup Authorization Form (PDF) or submit their own written authorization. The written authorization must be signed under penalty of perjury and include the voter’s name, date of birth, residential address, and the name of person authorized to pick up the ballot.

Upon request, if the voter is homebound, in the hospital, in a residential care facility, the Department can deliver or pick up a ballot for the voter. On Election Day, the Department organizes personnel dedicated solely to delivering and picking up ballots for voters who find themselves unable to make it to the polls.

If you require additional assistance to receive or return your ballot, please contact the Department using the contact form, or call (415) 554-4375.

Residential Care Facility, Hospital, and Inmate Voting Programs

The Department has targeted programs in place to provide election-related services to people in convalescent and residential care facilities, hospitals, and detention facilities. These programs include voter registration, applying for a vote-by-mail ballot, ballot pickup or delivery, and other services as needed.