Accessible Voting
Washoe County is dedicated to ensuring every voter, regardless of ability, can cast a ballot safely, privately and independently. We provide fully accessible polling places and voting machines with audio and large-print options, and offer multiple ways to return a mail ballot. Poll workers are trained to provide respectful, informed assistance, and all voting services comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Help America Vote Act.
Accessible Voting Booths
All vote centers are equipped to serve voters with mobility, vision and hearing disabilities. Each location includes at least one accessible voting system with audio or large-print options. Poll workers are trained to assist voters who use wheelchairs, are blind or are deaf so they receive equal access to voting.
Right to Assistance
Voters with disabilities have the right to receive assistance during the voting process. Under the Voting Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, voters may choose someone to assist them, except for their employer or a union representative. Assistance may include help operating a voting booth, completing a mail ballot or returning it to a drop box.
Mail Ballots
Mail ballots provide a reliable and convenient option for many voters. This option can be especially helpful for voters with disabilities who may have difficulty traveling to a polling location.
Nevada’s Effective Absentee System for Elections (EASE) is an online application designed to support covered voters. EASE is available to active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces, their spouses and dependents, Nevada voters living overseas, Nevada residents with disabilities, and tribal voters living on a colony or reservation in Nevada.
EASE is available no later than 46 days before Election Day and can be accessed at NVEASE.gov.
Since 2020, Nevada has expanded access to EASE for voters with disabilities (NRS 293.269951; NAC 293.206) and tribal voters living on a colony or reservation (NRS 293.269951(1)(a)(2)).
The Secretary of State’s office developed EASE using a grant from the Department of Defense’s Federal Voting Assistance Program, enabling secure online access beginning with the 2014 general election.
EASE Features
- Nevada law authorizes covered voters to use digital or electronic signatures for voter registration, military-overseas ballot applications and ballots.
- EASE retrieves the voter’s signature already on file with their county registrar or the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.
- After marking the EASE packet, the system applies the voter’s electronic signature and generates a cover sheet required for processing.
- EASE Demonstration – A PDF walkthrough showing the screens voters see while using EASE.
Eligible military and overseas voters, voters with disabilities, and tribal voters can access the live EASE system at NVEASE.gov.