Accessible Election Notice Requirements: A Guide for Member Organizations

An accessible election notice ensures every eligible voter knows when, where, and how to participate. If your pre-election communications exclude members with disabilities, the integrity of your election is compromised before the first ballot is cast.

Why Election Notices Must Be Accessible

Election teams often spend months auditing their online ballots for accessibility but overlook the communication that gets voters to the ballot in the first place. A perfect voting platform does not help a visually impaired member who cannot read the PDF notice announcing the nomination deadline.

For state and local government elections, the Department of Justice has made clear that digital accessibility under ADA Title II extends to the entire voting process, including notices, registration forms, and voter education materials. For private organizations—such as labor unions, credit unions, and associations—the legal framework may differ, but the practical risk is the same. A member who cannot read an election notice has been denied an equal opportunity to participate. This can lead to internal disputes, formal complaints, or challenges under organizational bylaws.

A union with 4,200 members in Michigan recently faced this exact issue. They sent their annual election notice as a scanned image inside an email. Screen readers could not process the image, leaving dozens of members unaware of the impending deadline to request an absentee ballot. By the time the union corrected the error, the deadline had passed, forcing them to extend the timeline and incur unexpected costs.

Common Barriers in Election Communications

Accessibility failures in election notices are rarely intentional. They usually happen because teams rely on familiar, but inaccessible, formats. The most common barriers include:

• Scanned PDFs: Documents created by scanning a printed page are essentially images of text. Assistive technologies cannot read them unless they undergo optical character recognition (OCR) and proper tagging.


• Images without Alt Text: Banners or graphics that contain important dates or instructions but lack alternative text descriptions.


• Poor Color Contrast: Using light gray text on a white background, or relying on color alone to indicate required actions (e.g., "Click the red button to register").


• Unstructured Emails: Long blocks of text without proper heading tags (H1, H2), making it difficult for screen reader users to navigate and find key information quickly.


• Inaccessible Links: Using vague link text like "Click here" instead of descriptive text like "Read the full candidate statements."

A Step-by-Step Checklist for Accessible Notices

To ensure your election notices reach every member, build accessibility into your communication strategy from the start. Use this checklist before sending any pre-election email or posting a notice on your website.

1. Use HTML as the default format. Whenever possible, send notices as structured HTML emails or web pages rather than attaching PDFs. HTML is natively more accessible to screen readers when properly formatted.


2. Structure content with headings. Use clear, logical headings to break up the text. This allows users of assistive technology to skim the document and jump to relevant sections.


3. Provide descriptive alt text for images. If your notice includes a logo or graphic, add alt text that conveys its purpose. If an image contains text (which should be avoided if possible), the alt text must include that exact text.


4. Ensure sufficient color contrast. Check that all text meets the WCAG 2.1 AA contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background.


5. Write descriptive links. Ensure all hyperlinks clearly describe their destination. A screen reader user should know exactly what will happen when they activate a link.


6. Tag PDFs correctly. If you must use a PDF (e.g., for a formal candidate packet), ensure it is properly tagged with headings, lists, and reading order. Never use a scanned image as a final PDF.


7. Include an accessibility contact. Always provide a clear, accessible way for members to request an accommodation or report a barrier (e.g., an email address or phone number monitored by trained staff).

Connecting Notices to the Voting Platform

An accessible notice is the first step in an accessible voter journey. It must lead seamlessly to an accessible voting experience. When evaluating online voting platforms, ask vendors how their system handles the transition from the email notice to the login screen.

Authentication steps are a frequent failure point. If a voter clicks a link in an accessible email but lands on a login page with an inaccessible CAPTCHA or a hidden timeout warning, the process breaks down. The platform should support keyboard navigation, provide clear error messages, and maintain accessibility standards throughout the entire session.

For organizations managing complex member data, election operations teams can help synchronize accessible communications with secure, accessible ballot delivery, ensuring no member is left behind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do private associations have to follow ADA web accessibility rules for election notices?

While ADA Title II applies to state and local governments, private entities (like associations and unions) may be covered under Title III if they operate places of public accommodation. Even if Title III does not directly apply, inaccessible notices can violate internal bylaws requiring fair and equal elections, leading to member challenges.

What is the easiest way to make a PDF election notice accessible?

The easiest approach is to avoid PDFs and use structured HTML instead. If a PDF is required, create it from a source document (like Microsoft Word) using the built-in accessibility checker, ensuring all headings, lists, and images are properly tagged before exporting.

Can we just provide a phone number for members who cannot read the email notice?

Providing a phone number for support is an excellent practice, but it does not replace the obligation to make the primary notice accessible. Members with disabilities should be able to receive and understand election information independently, just like any other member.

How does the ADA Title II deadline extension affect election notice requirements?

The DOJ's April 2026 interim final rule extended the Title II compliance deadline to April 26, 2027 for larger public entities. However, this extension applies to formal WCAG 2.1 AA conformance deadlines, not to the underlying obligation to provide accessible communications. Election teams should continue improving notice accessibility regardless of the extended timeline.

The Bottom Line

Election accessibility does not begin at the ballot box; it begins with the very first notice you send to your members. By prioritizing clear structure, readable formats, and descriptive links, you protect the integrity of your election and ensure every voice has the opportunity to be heard. The accessibility approach that matters most is one that covers the full voter journey, from the first email to the final receipt.

If you are planning an upcoming election and want to ensure your entire process—from the first notice to the final tally—is secure, auditable, and fully accessible, contact our team to discuss your requirements before you set a single deadline.