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- ABA Resolution 113B is a policy statement adopted within the ABA
- The text of Resolution 113B highlights accessibility across the voting process
- The resolution refers to more than one level of government and more than one type of tribunal
- The resolution names several types of barriers without listing a single technical standard
- The ABA describes this type of resolution as part of its published policy materials
- People sometimes confuse an ABA policy resolution with government law
- Sources
Key Facts
- Federal and state: ABA Resolution 113B was passed by the ABA House of Delegates in 2014.
- Federal and state: Resolution 113B addresses accessibility in the electoral process, including voter registration and voting methods, for persons with disabilities.
- Federal and state: The resolution urges that polling places be free of physical, technological, and administrative barriers.
- Federal and state: The resolution urges improved enforcement of voting rights for persons with disabilities.
- Federal and state: The resolution urges that election personnel and volunteers receive accessibility training.
- Federal and state: The resolution urges that persons with disabilities be actively encouraged to serve as election officials and volunteers.
- Federal and state: An ABA article describes this resolution as the result of work by the ABA Standing Committee on Election Law and the ABA Commission on Disability Rights.
ABA Resolution 113B is a policy statement adopted within the ABA
Resolution 113B is a policy resolution adopted by the American Bar Association House of Delegates that speaks to voting accessibility for persons with disabilities, as described in an ABA publication by the Commission on Law and Aging.
The text of Resolution 113B highlights accessibility across the voting process
The ABA publication describes the resolution in three “resolved” clauses that focus on access to voting and election administration.
RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association urges federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments and the courts to ensure that the electoral process, including voter registration and voting methods, is accessible to persons with disabilities and that polling places are free of physical, technological, and administrative barriers.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association urges federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments to use all appropriate means to improve enforcement of voting rights for persons with disabilities.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association urges all election officials to ensure that election personnel and volunteers receive accessibility training and that persons with disabilities are actively encouraged to serve as election officials and volunteers.
The resolution refers to more than one level of government and more than one type of tribunal
Resolution 113B explicitly addresses “federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments and the courts,” which signals that voting access issues can arise across many different systems and authorities.
The resolution names several types of barriers without listing a single technical standard
Rather than focusing on one device or one administrative rule, the text highlights three broad categories of barriers that can affect access at polling places, described as physical, technological, and administrative barriers.
The ABA describes this type of resolution as part of its published policy materials
On its website, the ABA Commission on Disability Rights maintains a list of “resolutions passed by the ABA House of Delegates” that it describes as “ABA policy,” and it notes that many of the policies are presented as PDF files.
People sometimes confuse an ABA policy resolution with government law
In plain terms, Resolution 113B is presented by the ABA as an association policy position adopted through the House of Delegates, and it is written as an urging statement directed to governments, courts, and election officials rather than as a statute or regulation text.
