December 30, 2025
When boards of election plan a printing run, accessibility can't be an afterthought. Federal laws, along with the voters those laws protect, set the baseline for how ballots, voter information cards, and polling-place materials are designed. The good news: meeting that bar doesn't have to slow your printing timeline. With the right preparation and the right print partner, accessible ballot design fits cleanly into a normal production schedule.
Why Accessibility Matters in Ballot Design
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) together require that voting be accessible to people with disabilities. For ballot materials, that often means larger type, clear contrast, and alternative formats for voters who can't easily read standard print. Beyond meeting the law, accessible ballots reduce voter error and the protests that follow. A ballot that's easier to read is easier to mark, and easier to count. Accessibility also matters for voters with low vision, motor difficulties, cognitive disabilities, or limited English proficiency. Designing for that range from the start, rather than retrofitting later, saves time and money downstream.
Practical Design Steps Boards Can Take
Accessibility starts with the ballot layout itself. Type size, font weight, line spacing, and the contrast between ink and paper all affect how easy a ballot is to mark for voters with low vision. Large-print ballots, alternative-format mailings, and clear instruction sheets are the most common requests from voters and advocacy groups. A few general guidelines help:
• Use a clean sans-serif font in a generous point size
• Keep contrast between ink and paper high
• Leave white space around marking targets
• Write instructions in plain language
Work with your print vendor early to confirm what they can produce and on what timeline. Last-minute accessibility add-ons are where mistakes happen.
Build It Into Your Procurement Conversation
Ask your print vendor up front: what alternative formats can you produce, and what's the turnaround on each? Request sample materials. Verify the workflow with your team before the first proof goes out. At Phoenix Election Printing, accessibility considerations are part of how we lay out ballots from the start, not a separate step bolted on at the end. The earlier accessibility shows up in the conversation, the smoother the production run.
Have questions about making your next ballot run more accessible? Get in touch. We can walk through what's involved and where most boards of election run into trouble.
