California's vote-by-mail system, used by roughly 85% of the state's voters, runs on a few small but firm requirements: a marked ballot, a signed envelope and a postmark by Election Day. For voters with disabilities, those steps can become barriers; and the state has built in a number of accommodations that advocates say are not widely known.
Paul Spencer, a senior attorney with Disability Rights California, said the signature requirement is one of the most common issues his office hears about from voters.
"This impacts people with disabilities, especially because they might be more likely to have an inconsistent signature over time," Spencer said. "But this really impacts all voters, especially if you have a hand injury before an election, or you have an illness, something that's changed your signature."
California regulations require county election workers to compare a signature on a return envelope to one on file, not match it exactly. The regulations also instruct election workers to take into account whether a voter has a disability that may have affected the way they sign.
X mark option
California law has a backup for voters who cannot sign their name.
"You're supposed to put a mark, typically an X, on the signature line. Have someone print your name next to the mark. But then that person also needs to sign the vote by mail envelope," Spencer said.
A signature stamp is another option, though it requires a trip to the county elections office to register the stamp ahead of time.
Signature changes
Most Californians are registered through the DMV, where signatures are captured on an electronic pad. Spencer said voters should check whether the signature on their driver's license still matches the way they sign today.
Voters whose signatures have changed can re-register to put a fresh signature on file. Spencer recommends using a paper voter registration form, available at post offices, libraries and county elections offices.
"You're allowed to re-register whenever in California. There's no penalty for re-registering," Spencer said.
Ryan Ronco, the Placer County registrar of voters, said variation alone is not always enough to reject a ballot. Counties keep a long history of voter signatures, not just the most recent.
"We have an ability to make some determinations on how that signature is progressing," Ronco said.
Some counties also include tactile markings on vote-by-mail envelopes to help voters with low vision find the signature line.
Rejected signature
State law requires counties to contact voters within 24 hours of rejecting a signature, by letter and, if a voter has provided one, by phone or email. The process of fixing the signature is known as curing, and voters have 21 days after Election Day to complete it.
Armando Salud-Ambriz, the Nevada County registrar of voters, said his county offers electronic signature verification, allowing voters to sign cure documents on a phone or tablet. Cure documents can also be returned by mail, photo, email, fax or in person.
Spencer also recommends signing up for the Secretary of State's "Where's My Ballot?" tracking service, which alerts voters when a ballot has been received or flagged for a problem.
Voting in person
Every California vote center is required to provide a way for voters to cast a ballot privately and independently, regardless of disability. Ronco said the requirement applies in every county.
"If a voter does have limited eyesight, or can't use their extremities, then there are going to be systems that allow for that voter to be able to vote at the vote center privately and independently," Ronco said.
Accessible voting devices at vote centers offer audio output, adjustable text size and high-contrast options. Voters can also bring up to two people with them to help, although those people cannot be the voter's employer or a representative of the voter's union.
Spencer said voting in person also sidesteps the signature comparison. Voters sign in on a poll book at the vote center, but that signature is not compared to the one in their registration file.
Remote accessible vote-by-mail
California also offers a system called remote accessible vote-by-mail (RAVBM), which lets voters with disabilities download a ballot, fill it out on a home computer using assistive technology and print it for return.
Spencer said the RAVBM system has limits. Voters still have to mail or hand-deliver a printed ballot. That can be a barrier for people with print disabilities. Those are voters who cannot manipulate paper on their own. The category includes some voters who are blind, as well as people with manual dexterity disabilities such as cerebral palsy or a spinal cord injury affecting the hands.
Disability Rights California has been pushing the state to allow electronic return of ballots for voters with print disabilities. Several other states already permit it.
"This is a really small group of voters, but it is important that all voters have the same right to vote privately and independently as people without disabilities," Spencer said.
Disability Rights California operates a voter hotline at 888-569-7955. The hotline runs through the election and is answered live. The organization also publishes voter toolkits on its website, including a guide for voters who cannot sign their name.
Election Day is Tuesday, June 2. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
