Advisory committee revises vacancy notice to use 'election accessibility needs' and approves distribution

The Statewide Elections Accessibility Needs Advisory Committee reviewed and approved a revised vacancy announcement on Dec. 19, instructing staff to replace the phrase 'special needs' with 'election accessibility needs' and to broaden examples of disabilities included.

Ray of the Office of Elections read a draft recruitment announcement that described the committee’s role, term lengths, responsibilities, and application instructions. Several members, including Catherine Keim and Cheryl Nelson, asked that language be updated to reflect current legislative terminology and to avoid limiting examples to only visual and hearing impairments. Cheryl Nelson suggested the announcement say simply ‘people with access needs’ and remove narrower categories; Ray agreed to change the wording to 'election accessibility needs' and to replace the list of specific impairments with a broader reference to 'persons with disabilities having access needs in voting.'

Patricia Morrissey moved to approve the announcement as revised and Ray was authorized to distribute it via the Office’s partner-organization list, county elections divisions, and county advisory committees. Members also discussed posting the notice prominently on the Office of Elections homepage and offering it to the governor’s boards-and-commissions site for broader visibility; James Gashel volunteered to contact the governor’s office if staff cooperation was needed.

Next steps: Ray will publish the revised announcement on the Office of Elections website, distribute it to partner organizations and county offices, and include county advisory contacts and neighbor-island outreach in distribution.