Accessible Voting Act of 2026

The bill would establish an Election Assistance Commission Office of Accessibility, a National Resource Center, and a public national website with state voting information and accessibility resources. The office would also collect complaints and refer complaints that violate federal law to the Department of Justice.

States would need accessible election websites and a single office responsible for disability- and age-related voting information, training, and polling-place audits. States and localities would also have to publish notice of voting changes within 7 days and provide information about polling-place locations, accessibility, machines, and trained poll workers before federal elections.

For federal elections, states would have to offer no-excuse absentee voting, accept voter-registration applications received at least 21 days before an election, and accept absentee-ballot applications received at least 7 days before it. States would also provide options for electronic applications and accessible transmission and marking of blank ballots; the bill expressly says this does not allow voting over the internet.

States would have to ensure polling places are accessible and make drop boxes accessible to people with disabilities, people with limited English proficiency, and homeless individuals. States would also have to consider ways to address long waits and mobile polling at long-term care facilities; a person could not be found unable to vote solely because they are under guardianship without a court finding, by clear and convincing evidence, that they cannot communicate a desire to participate, with or without accommodations.

Eligible states could receive payments for meeting the bill’s accessibility requirements. At least 10% of a state’s allocation would have to go to local governments for accessible election websites and sharing information with the state website.

The bill’s remaining sections cover expanding and reauthorizing a voting-access grant program, studying accessible voting options, appointments to the Election Assistance Commission Board of Advisors, and use of funds for protection and advocacy systems’ election-access litigation. The later sections are described here by their headings only.