Hardeman County Election Commission

Accessible voting

It is your right to vote privately and independently. Please call the Hardeman County election office at 731-658-4751 with questions or suggestions about accessible voting in Hardeman County.

Voting by mail

Voting by mail, or absentee voting, gives all registered voters the opportunity to vote without having to travel to a voting location.

Accessible voting locations

Voting locations must be made accessible for all people, regardless of ability. Under State and Federal law, all voters must be given the same opportunity for access and participation in the voting process.

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.

Accessible voting machines

Every polling location is required to have a voting machine that is ADA-compliant. These machines include features like audio ballots, large print/zoom features, and height and tilt adjustments on the screens.  Please let the poll workers know if you need assistance with the voting machine.

Hardeman County voters use the Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting machine, the Hart InterCivic eSlate. It is not a touchscreen voting machine. Voters turn a small wheel and press buttons to make their selections. Voters may listen to a human recording of the screen to help navigate their choices.

To use the eSlate machine:

1. Select your language using the Wheel to move the highlight to proper one and push Enter.
2. Use the Wheel to input the access code given to you when you registered. This access code can only be used once.
3. Select candidates by highlighting their names, and using the enter key to make a selection. Undo a selection by pressing enter again. To vote for a write-in candidate, touch the Write-In line - a keyboard will appear. Type in the name of the candidate using the Wheel, touch the Record Write-In button to continue.
4. Review your choices on the Review screen, touch Record Ballot to cast your vote.

Casting your vote

Instructions for marking and casting your vote are posted in each voting location. If you have any questions about how to mark or cast your vote, or if you have incorrectly marked a vote, contact an election official for instructions.

Assistance at the voting location

If you need assistance or have questions about the voting process, tell a poll worker at your polling place. You have the right to vote on an accessible voting machine. You also have the right to have someone you choose assist you in the voting booth. You may choose a poll worker to assist you. Whomever helps you vote cannot tell you how to mark your vote or provide information to others about how you voted. People who cannot assist you vote include:

• Your employer.
• An agent of your employer.
• Or an officer or agent of your labor union. 

Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-7-116.

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. The person who witnessed you making that mark must write his or her name beneath 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.