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Accessible Voting & Election Materials
The Yolo County Elections Office ensures all eligible voters have equal access to voter registration, election services, voting materials, and the ballot box.
Some people experience barriers to getting voting and election information, including accessing the ballot. Yolo County provides options to anyone who needs assistance. Please see our various services below. For more information email the Elections Office or call 530-666-8133.
Learn more about recent changes to laws and procedures that can help you vote when you cannot vote in person because of a medical emergency or condition. More about these resources are listed below.
Voting at a Vote Center
In California, all ballots cast are paper ballots. Most voters cast their ballots by returning the vote-by-mail ballots they receive in the mail. You can mark the ballot yourself at a Vote Center or use a ballot-marking device at a Vote Center.
You can choose up to two people to help you mark your ballot. This trusted person (or people) can be a Vote Center Worker or a helper, friend or family member of any age; however, the person cannot be:
- Your employer or anyone who works for your employer
- Your labor union leader or anyone who works for your labor union
Vote Centers cannot issue a ballot to someone else on your behalf. With your written permission, your designee can pick up a vote-by-mail ballot for you at the Elections Office at 625 Court Street in Woodland.
Ballot-Marking Devices
The ballot-marking device used in Yolo County is the Verity Touch Writer.
With the Touch Writer, a voter can use the touch screen, adaptive controller, built-in audio-tactile devices or their own assistive device, such as a sip-and-puff, to make their choices. Voters can also change settings such as audio ballot speed and volume, text size and contrast.
Once you have viewed the entire ballot and reviewed it on screen, your ballot will be printed on the attached printer. The ballot printed from the Touch Writer is identical to the one you would have received to mark by hand, except the voting boxes reflecting your choices are perfectly filled in. There is no risk of stray or accidental markings. Detailed instructions are available, and Vote Center Workers will help you get started.
A Verity Touch Writer Overview (PDF) adds visuals the step-by-step process.
Curbside Voting
Curbside voting allows you to park as close to the voting area as possible and cast a ballot without going inside the building. Two Vote Center Workers will bring an electronic roster (ePollbook) for you to check in and sign, a secrecy folder, a paper ballot, and any other voting materials you may need — whether you are at the curb or in a vehicle.
All Vote Centers must be accessible to voters with disabilities under federal and state standards, and all must have at least three Touch Writers. Please contact the Yolo County Elections Office with any questions, concerns or about your experience at a Vote Center.
Under Assembly Bill 37 (2021), all registered voters may now use a Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail (RAVBM) system. The system was created in 2016 as a tool to allow voters with disabilities who prefer or need to vote from home to read and mark their ballot with more privacy and independence. The system improves the voting experience for voters with visual impairments or dexterity issues that hinder marking a paper ballot.
Voters may access, read, and mark a ballot in a screen-readable format from any computer with internet access and a printer, using their own adaptive technologies, if needed. To ensure the privacy of each voter's selections, the RAVBM system does not store or transmit the voter's choices on the computer or over the internet. The marked ballots must be printed by the voter and returned like any other vote-by-mail ballot.
This is not "internet voting." The voter's selections are neither transmitted nor saved to the computer; all voters in Yolo County vote on a paper ballot.
County-issued vote-by-mail ballot return identification envelopes have two holes, which voters with visual impairments can use as a signature guide to sign in the proper place on the envelope. The download packet on the RAVBM system has information about returning the ballot if the return identification envelope is not available.
The link to the RAVBM system is on the Yolo County website starting 29 days prior to the election and is available as a direct link if requested. Voters may request access to the RAVBM system by contacting the Yolo County Elections Office via email, our Voter Assistance Hotline at 800-649-9943, or fax at 530-666-8123. The voter will be sent a direct link to the RAVBM system via email.
Eligibility & Access
Any eligible voter may use the RAVBM system.
Voters registered under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voter Act (UOCAVA voters) have access to the RAVBM system beginning 45 days prior to Election Day, using this link to the RAVBM system's secure website. (Only linked when the election is active)
All other active eligible voters have access to the RAVBM system beginning 29 days prior to Election Day, using this link to the RAVBM system's secure website. (Only linked when the election is active)
Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail Demonstration
Videos and demonstrations are available on YouTube:
The County Voter Information Guide is mailed to all active registered voters in Yolo County. The State Voter Information Guide is mailed by the Secretary of State to all households in California where an active registered voter resides. To access your guide see the links below.
County Voter Information Guide
When the County Voter Information Guide becomes available, this County Voter Information Guide link will take you to the County's Accessible Voter Guide website, which also provides access to the Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail system. The County Voter Information Guide contains information about voting in Yolo County and contests on the ballot that are not voted upon statewide.
State Voter Information Guide
Clicking on this State Voter Information Guide link will take you to the Secretary of State's voter guide website. Other formats such as an audio version and a large print version of the State Voter Information Guide is available on the Secretary of State's website. The State Voter Information Guide contains information about voting in California and contests on the ballot that are voted upon statewide.
The Yolo County Elections Office conducts town halls to educate the public about the voting process, the Voter's Choice Act, and election-specific information. Events can be conducted in more than one language, including ASL. Please see our Voter Education and Outreach Workshop page for detail about joining the discussion about making voting more accessible to everyone.
You may email a request for outreach services or presentations, or attend workshops of interest to you and your community.
The deadline to register to vote for a given election is 15 days prior to Election Day. Voters who miss the deadline may register and vote under Conditional Voter Registration (CVR).
Accessible Conditional Voter Registration (Same Day Registration) through RAVBM
Voters with disabilities and qualified military and overseas voters may now participate in Conditional Voter Registration without appearing in person. Under Senate Bill 504 (2022), the specified voters may use the California Online Voter Registration for CVR and request from the Yolo County Election Office access to the Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail system to vote conditionally.
Conservatorships
Senate Bill 589 (2016) amended the California Elections Code to require that an individual with a disability who is under a conservatorship be permitted to register to vote unless that individual has been disqualified from voting. The law establishes a presumption that a person is competent to vote regardless of his or her conservatorship status.
Section 2102 of the Elections Code also requires that an individual with a disability, who is otherwise qualified to vote but needs accommodations to complete an affidavit of voter registration, be granted such necessary accommodations to the extent they are reasonable.
It is important to note that restoration of a conservatee's right to register to vote does not automatically lead to his or her registration. A newly eligible conservatee must register/re-register to vote. Registration cards are available at Post Offices, the DMV, and many government buildings, or contact the Yolo County Elections Office to get one mailed to you. Alternatively, you may register to vote online.
Additional Information:
The Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee provides a forum for feedback and communication to continuously improve Yolo County's services to voters with disabilities or any other challenges creating a barrier to the electoral process.
The Language Accessibility Advisory Committee provides a forum for Yolo County's continuous improvement of services to voters with limited English proficiency.