MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Casting a ballot is supposed to be accessible to all eligible voters, regardless of physical ability — but not everyone knows the rules around getting help at the polls.
A viewer reached out to me after her elderly mother had two very different experiences trying to vote with assistance. In a previous election cycle, the woman was told her daughter couldn't help her cast her ballot. This year, she was told all she had to do was fill out a form.
Montgomery County Election Administrator Amanda Joslin said the form-based process is what should have happened all along. The document, called a "Record of Assistance," records the voter's permission for someone to help them cast their ballot. "When you approach your machine operator, just let them know you need some extra help," Joslin said.
As long as the person assisting has not been convicted of voter fraud, most people are eligible to help a voter. "You may have someone with you to help you or the machine operator themselves can help you," Joslin said.
Joslin said she was not aware of the specific situation described, but urged voters to contact her office immediately if they ever encounter pushback. "If you have issues getting an assistance form or having somebody push back about you using that, please call the office while you're there. We'll definitely call that location and explain to them that if someone wants to use that assistance form and have someone assist them, then they're definitely welcome to do that," Joslin said.
Montgomery County also has specialized voting equipment to help voters with vision or hearing impairments.
Voter Mike Hill, who was among those casting ballots during the final week of early voting in Montgomery County, said access to the polls matters. "That needs to be made available to you to be able to have a voice in what's going on in the government," Hill said.
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