Lake County Elections Office Wins Ballot Accessibility Award

Lake County Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays announced that his office received the Clearinghouse Award for Accessibility from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on May 22.

The award recognizes the office's remote ballot marking system, which works with screen readers, magnification tools, voice navigation, and alternative input devices. Since launching the program, absentee ballot use among voters with disabilities increased 38%.

Vote-by-Mail Manager Michelle Mohney designed the system. "Michelle recognized a need and worked diligently to build a bridge to expand voting access," Hays said.

The EAC, a bipartisan federal agency overseeing election administration, received nearly 200 entries and judged them on innovation, sustainability, outreach, cost-effectiveness, replicability, and results. Lake County won the Accessibility category, which recognizes best practices for voters with disabilities.

Other award categories included Communications, Contingency Planning, Security, and Poll Workers.