October 5, 2026 | Voting Rights
Voting is more than casting a ballot — it’s having a say in your community. In New Jersey, people with disabilities have the same right to vote privately and independently as everyone else, and there are supports in place to make that real.
You have the right to an accessible vote. Every polling place in New Jersey is required to have an accessible ballot-marking device — a machine that lets voters with disabilities mark their ballot privately and independently. If the machine isn’t working or you run into a barrier, you have the right to ask for help and to have the problem fixed.
You can bring someone to help. If you want assistance, you can bring a person of your choice into the voting booth with you — a family member, a friend, or a support worker. (The one restriction: it can’t be your employer or a union representative.) Poll workers can also assist if you ask.
Vote by mail is an option for everyone. Any registered voter in New Jersey can vote by mail — no reason needed. You request a mail-in ballot from your county clerk, fill it out at home where you’re comfortable, and return it by the deadline. For many people with disabilities, this is the simplest option.
Register and check your registration. You need to be registered to vote, and it’s worth confirming your registration is current — especially if you’ve moved. The New Jersey Division of Elections website has registration forms, deadline information, and answers to common questions.
Talk to your support coordinator. Questions about getting to the polls, requesting a mail-in ballot, or understanding what’s on the ballot? Your support coordinator can help you find the information and supports you need. Civic participation is part of community life, and it matters.
Who we serve — a quick note. Spectrum provides support coordination for adults in New Jersey’s DDD Supports Program and Community Care Program. Both are for adults 21 and older who are determined eligible for DDD services and qualify for Medicaid. The Supports Program has no waiting list and is for people living in their own home or with family. The Community Care Program has a waiting list and is for people who meet an institutional level of care — including those in licensed settings like group homes. Not enrolled yet? The first step is applying through DDD at nj.gov/humanservices/ddd.
Questions about voting supports or anything else about community life in New Jersey? If your loved one is in the Supports Program or Community Care Program, call (973) 530-4155 or reach out through our contact form. And if your current agency isn’t helping with the things that matter to your family, you have the right to switch — we’d be glad to talk about what moving to Spectrum looks like.