Remote Accessible Vote by Mail (RAVBM) Request

Amador County is committed to providing a website that is accessible to all visitors. This website was designed to meet the level Double-A of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. This website was built using code that is compliant with the W3C guidelines for HTML and CSS. The guidelines help organizations make web content more accessible for people with disabilities.

Amador County's office strives to make all of its web pages as accessible and user-friendly as possible. The agency is in the process of converting the documents to be ADA compliance. If you have difficulty accessing the Amador County website, please call the Amador County's Voter Hotline at (209) 223-6465 or email the Amador County's Accessibility Coordinator, Shawnesti Machado.

As of January 1, 2020, all voters in Amador County will receive a ballot by mail for all future elections regardless of having signed up for one. However, voters will not be limited to just voting by mail (which is postage paid now); they will be able to drop off their ballots in one of our many secure drop-off locations throughout the county or they can vote in person. If a voter chooses to vote in person, they may go to any of three open vote center locations throughout the county.

Voting and Language Accessibility Advisory Committee (VLAAC)

In an effort to ensure that all voters in Amador County have the ability to cast a ballot that is independent, private and secure, the County Elections office has established a Voting and Language Accessibility Advisory Committee (VLAAC). Click here to learn more.

Language Services

In accordance with California Elections Code §14201, Amador County provides reference ballots in Spanish at all of our Vote Centers and at the Elections Office during election voting periods.

In addition to facsimile ballots in Spanish, every Vote Center in Amador County, as well as our Elections Office, is
equipped with a device that provides language translation services via video in dozens of languages including Spanish
and American Sign Language. Simply approach a Vote Center worker for access to this service. For assistance in
Spanish, call 1‐855‐938‐0486.

De acuerdo con el Código Electoral de California §14201, el Condado de Amador proporciona boletas de referencia en español en todos nuestros Centros de Votación y en la Oficina de Elecciones durante los períodos de votación electoral.

Además de las boletas de facsímil en español, todos los Centros de Votación en el condado de Amador, así como
nuestra oficina de elecciones, están equipados con un dispositivo que brinda servicios de traducción de idiomas a través
de video en docenas de idiomas, incluido el español y el lenguaje de señas estadounidense. Simplemente acérquese a
un trabajador del Centro de Votación para acceder a este servicio. Para asistencia en español 1‐855‐938‐0486.

Voting by Mail

 If a voter would prefer to vote their ballot independently at home and mail it in, but still requires accessibility, Amador County now has a Remote Accessible Vote By Mail (RAVBM) system that can be accessed online by all interested voters. Watch the below video from Disability Rights California for details on Remote Accessible Vote By Mail:

To obtain a Remote Accessible Vote By Mail ballot, complete the postage paid card that comes in your ballot packet and return it by mail, or download the form below, complete it, sign it and return it via mail, fax or email. Remember to provide an email address so you can receive your RAVBM ballot. An RAVBM ballot link and instructions will be emailed to the voter to access, vote, print, and mail back to our office to be counted.

Voting at a Vote Center

If a voter requires accessibility or assistance in filling out their ballot, they may bring someone with them to help them vote, or they may ask for assistance from the election officials. You may ask anyone to help you vote, except for the following people:

•  Your employer
• An agent of your employer
• An agent of your union

They may also get help in marking their ballot from trained election officials. Whomever helps them vote cannot tell them how to mark their ballot or provide information to others about how they voted.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects people with disabilities from receiving unequal treatment within state and local government services, programs, and activities. (ADA, Title II)  This law protects your right to vote by making sure that voters with disabilities have access to:

• Accessible parking
• An accessible route to the entrance
• An accessible entrance
• An accessible route to the voting area
• Voting procedures
• Voting machines

The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) protects the right of people with disabilities to vote by making sure that:

• Voting locations are easy to get to and to use
• People who are blind or have problems seeing get the help they need
• Voting is private and personal
• Each polling location has an accessible voting machine

All Vote Centers will have at least two voting booths for a chair or wheelchair, magnifying glasses, and pen grips. There will be three (3) accessible ballot marking devices that can accommodate a chair or wheelchair, to help voters with specific needs vote independently and privately.

For any voter that cannot physically access a Vote Center, there is the option to vote “curbside”. You can either "ring the doorbell" (which will be outside at each vote center), call the Elections office or have a passenger or friend enter the Vote Center and give your information to our trained Elections staff to bring your ballot to you. You may sit in a car and vote, or vote at the door of the building. To schedule curbside voting call (209) 223-6465.

Watch the below video from Disability Rights California for details on Vote Center Accessibility:

Signing Election Documents

If you are unable to sign your own name and have no other legal mark, make an "X," if possible, on the signature line.  

If you are unable to make an "X," you must indicate in some manner to the person assisting you that you want to sign your name. The person helping you must sign the election form and attest that you indicated that you want to sign the election form.

State Voter Information Guide 

The Secretary of State’s Office provides multiple alternative versions of the State Voter Information Guide. Three different audio options are available; cassette and compact disc formats as well as a downloadable MP3 version. A large print guide is also available. These alternative formats are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.

If you or someone you know is interested in receiving copies of either the cassette, compact disc, or large-print version of the Voter Information Guide, free of charge, please call the Secretary of State’s Elections Division at (916) 657-2166 or visit their website at:

  http://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/en/alt-versions/

For a downloadable audio version of the Voter Information Guide, please visit:

   http://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/en/audio/

NOTE: The above State links may appear outdated between major Statewide Elections.

Additional Resources