Accessible Campaign Websites: Votes You Are Currently Leaving Out
Accessibility conversations usually start with legal risk, but campaigns should hear the electoral math first: about a quarter of adults live with a disability, seniors (the most reliable voting bloc in local elections) are disproportionately affected, and an inaccessible website is a locked door in the one place a campaign is trying to welcome everyone.
The fixes that cover most of it
- Alt text on every image, describing what matters: "Maria Vasquez speaking with veterans at the county fair," not "IMG_2047".
- Contrast that passes. Text must be clearly readable against its background. Deep navy on cream passes easily; gray on white and red on blue often fail.
- Labeled forms. Signup and donation fields need real labels, not just placeholder text that vanishes when typing starts.
- Keyboard navigation. Everything clickable must be reachable by tab key. Screen reader and motor-impaired users depend on it.
- Captions on video. Also helps everyone scrolling with sound off, which is most of social.
The structural advantage
Hand-built sites accumulate accessibility debt with every edit. Generated sites can enforce standards structurally: Ballot Page templates ship with contrast-checked palettes, labeled forms, semantic headings, and keyboard-navigable menus by default, and prompt for alt text on upload. The accessible choice should be the automatic one.
This article is general information, not legal advice; for specific ADA exposure questions, consult counsel.
Common questions
Are campaign websites legally required to be accessible?
The legal picture is evolving and varies by jurisdiction, and campaigns have faced ADA-based complaints. But the practical argument is stronger: roughly one in four adults has a disability, they vote, and an inaccessible site simply excludes them.
What are the most common accessibility failures?
Missing image alt text, low color contrast, forms without labels, and videos without captions. These four cover most complaints and most real-world exclusion.
Does accessibility hurt the design?
No. Contrast requirements align with legibility, which campaigns need anyway. A design that fails contrast standards is usually just hard to read for everyone.