Promoting Access to Voting, 32026-32027 [2021-12619]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 16, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32026-32027]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-12619]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket Number: 210608-0123]


Promoting Access to Voting

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Request for information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Based on the requirements of E.O. 14019, Promoting Access to 
Voting, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is 
seeking information about barriers to private and independent voting 
for people with disabilities. NIST, in consultation with the Department 
of Justice, the Election Assistance Commission, and other agencies, as 
appropriate, will analyze barriers, including access to voter 
registration, voting technology, voting by mail, polling locations, and 
poll worker training. Responses to this Request for Information (RFI) 
will inform NIST's development of recommendations.

DATES: Comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on July 16, 
2021. Written comments in response to the RFI should be submitted 
according to the instructions in the ADDRESSES and SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION sections below. Submissions received after that date may 
not be considered.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
     Electronic submission: Submit electronic public comments 
via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal.
    1. Go to www.regulations.gov and enter NIST-2021-0003 in the search 
field,
    2. Click the ``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, 
and
    3. Enter or attach your comments.
     Email: Comments in electronic form may also be sent to 
[email protected] in any of the following formats: HTML; ASCII; 
Word; RTF; or PDF.
    Please submit comments only and include your name, organization's 
name (if any), and cite ``Promoting Access to Voting'' in all 
correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about this RFI contact: 
Kevin Mangold, NIST, at (301) 975-5628, or email 
[email protected]. Please direct media inquiries to NIST's Office 
of Public Affairs at (301) 975-2762. Users of telecommunication devices 
for the deaf, or a text telephone, may call the Federal Relay Service, 
toll free at 1-800-877-8339.

[[Page 32027]]

    Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, NIST will make the RFI available 
in alternate formats, such as Braille or large print, upon request by 
persons with disabilities.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As stated in Executive Order 14019, 
Promoting Access to Voting,\1\ the right to vote is the foundation of 
American democracy. Under section 7 of Executive Order 14019, (Ensuring 
Equal Access for Voters with Disabilities), NIST is directed to 
evaluate the steps needed to ensure that the online Federal Voter 
Registration Form is accessible to people with disabilities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Exec. Order No. 14019, Promoting Access to Voting, 86 FR 
13623 (Mar. 7, 2021).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    This RFI outlines the information NIST is seeking from the public 
to inform the development of recommendations regarding both the Federal 
Voter Registration Form and other barriers it has identified that 
prevent people with disabilities from exercising their fundamental 
rights and the ability to vote privately and independently.

Request for Information

    The following statements are not intended to limit the topics that 
may be addressed. Responses may include any topic believed to have 
implications for the development of recommendations to promoting access 
to voting for people with disabilities, regardless of whether the topic 
is included in this document. All relevant responses that comply with 
the requirements listed in the DATES and ADDRESSES sections of this RFI 
and set forth below will be considered.
    Comments containing references, studies, research, and other 
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies of 
the referenced materials. All submissions, including attachments and 
other supporting materials, will become part of the public record and 
subject to public disclosure. NIST reserves the right to publish 
relevant comments publicly, unedited and in their entirety. All 
relevant comments received in response to the RFI will be made publicly 
available at https://www.nist.gov/itl/pva and at regulations.gov.
    Personally identifiable information (PII), such as street 
addresses, phone numbers, account numbers or Social Security numbers, 
or names of other individuals, should not be included. NIST asks 
commenters to avoid including PII as NIST has no plans to redact PII 
from comments. Do not submit confidential business information, or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information. Comments that contain 
profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate language or 
content will not be considered. NIST requests that commenters, to the 
best of their ability, only submit attachments that are accessible to 
people who rely upon assistive technology. A good resource for document 
accessibility can be found at: section508.gov/create/documents.
    NIST is seeking the following information from voting technology 
vendors, election officials, persons with disabilities, disability 
advocacy groups, assistive technology vendors and professionals, non-
partisan voting promotion groups, and other key stakeholders for the 
purpose of gathering information to foster greater voter access for 
people with disabilities:
    1. Describe concerns regarding accessing the right to vote 
privately and independently for people with disabilities.
    2. Describe effective strategies, techniques, and technologies for 
addressing the barriers faced by voters with disabilities throughout 
the voting process.
    3. Describe barriers that people with disabilities encounter in 
getting useful information about the voting process.
    4. Describe barriers that people with disabilities encounter with 
ballots, and in getting useful information about the items on the 
ballot.
    5. Provide recommendations for improving voter access for people 
with disabilities.
    6. Identify what has had the most impact enabling people with 
disabilities to vote privately and independently.
    7. Identify gaps that remain in making voting accessible to people 
with disabilities.
    8. Describe barriers that people with disabilities encounter with 
completing online forms for the voting process.
    9. Describe barriers that people with disabilities encounter in 
getting useful information about their eligibility to vote.
    10. Describe barriers that people with disabilities encounter with 
registering to vote.
    11. Describe barriers that people with disabilities encounter using 
technology for the registration or voting process, whether online, in 
person, or via mail.
    12. Describe the availability of accessible voting equipment.
    13. Describe barriers that people with disabilities encounter with 
voting by mail.
    14. Describe security considerations relevant to existing and 
potential technologies used by people with disabilities in the voting 
process.
    15. Describe barriers that people with disabilities face at polling 
locations.
    16. Describe the accessibility of polling places.
    17. Identify areas where poll worker training can address barriers 
experienced by people with disabilities.
    18. Identify areas where clearer or better policies can address 
barriers experienced by people with disabilities.
    19. Describe any barriers that people with disabilities face to 
voting that disproportionately impact communities of color, persons who 
live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by 
persistent poverty or inequality.
    20. Of the concerns and barriers noted, identify the most serious 
and impactful barriers faced by voters with disabilities throughout the 
voting process.

    Authority: Exec. Order No. 14019, Promoting Access to Voting, 86 
FR 13623 (Mar. 7, 2021).

Alicia Chambers,
NIST Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2021-12619 Filed 6-15-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P