Draft of Promoting Access to Voting: Recommendations for Addressing Barriers to Private and Independent Voting for People With Disabilities, 58255-58256 [2021-22757]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 201 (Thursday, October 21, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58255-58256]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-22757]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket Number: 211013-0207]


Draft of Promoting Access to Voting: Recommendations for 
Addressing Barriers to Private and Independent Voting for People With 
Disabilities

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

ACTION: Notice; request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 
requests public comments on the Draft Promoting Access to Voting: 
Recommendations for Addressing Barriers to Private and Independent 
Voting for People with Disabilities Document (Draft). The Draft was 
developed by NIST using information collected through the Request for 
Information (RFI) that was published in the Federal Register on June 
16, 2021; review of reports, papers and other literature; and 
engagement with stakeholder organizations and election officials. The 
Draft was developed in response to NIST responsibilities set forth in 
Executive Order (E.O.) 14019, Promoting Access to Voting. Under section 
7 of the E.O., 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 and to analyze barriers to private and independent voting 
for people with disabilities and make recommendations to remove these 
barriers. The Draft is posted on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
https://www.regulations.gov as well as the NIST website at: https://www.nist.gov/itl/voting. The use of the eRulemakng Portal does not 
imply that the Draft is a regulation, nor mandatory guidance for 
federal agencies.

DATES: Comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on November 
22, 2021. Written comments in response to this request for public 
comment 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.

[[Page 58256]]

    1. Go to www.regulations.gov and enter NIST-XXX-XXX 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 request for 
public comment 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.
    Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, NIST will make the Draft 
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 and 
identify barriers to private and independent voting for people with 
disabilities and make recommendations to remove these barriers. NIST is 
seeking public comment on the Draft Promoting Access to Voting: 
Recommendations for Addressing Barriers to Private and Independent 
Voting for People with Disabilities document. The Draft was developed 
by NIST using information collected through the Request for Information 
(RFI) that was published in the Federal Register on June 16, 2021, 
review of reports, papers and other literature, and engagement with 
stakeholder organizations and election officials.
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    \1\ Exec. Order No. 14019, Promoting Access to Voting, 86 FR 
13623 (Mar. 07, 2021).
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Request for Comment

    NIST seeks public comments on the draft Promoting Access to Voting: 
Recommendations for Addressing Barriers to Private and Independent 
Voting for People with Disabilities document and the draft 
recommendations contained in it regarding both the Federal Voter 
Registration Form as well as the barriers it has identified that 
prevent people with disabilities from exercising their fundamental 
rights and the ability to vote privately and independently. NIST is 
seeking comment from persons with disabilities, disability advocacy 
groups, assistive technology vendors and professionals, non-partisan 
voting promotion groups, voting technology vendors, election officials 
and other key stakeholders.
    The Draft is available electronically from the NIST website at: 
https://www.nist.gov/itl/voting as well as www.regulations.gov. A 
comment template is available at: https://www.nist.gov/itl/voting. Use 
of the comment template is suggested but not required. Interested 
parties should submit comments in accordance with the DATES and 
ADDRESSES section of this notice.
    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 will be made publicly available at https://www.nist.gov/itl/voting and 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.
    Authority: Exec. Order No. 14019, Promoting Access to Voting, 86 FR 
13623 (Mar. 07, 2021).

Alicia Chambers,
NIST Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2021-22757 Filed 10-20-21; 8:45 am]
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