The State Of Oregon Helps Disabled People Vote With iPads [Report]

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In an attempt to make sure all of its residents vote for Tuesday's special primary election, Oregon county election workers have been making the rounds to local nursing homes and community centers to help disabled people vote.

What are these disabled people voting with, you ask? iPads, of course.

While most of Oregon's voters are sending in their ballets by mail to replace the former US Representative David Wu after his sex scandal, the disabled are sending their votes from iPads. This is the most recent example of using technology to help people with disabilities privately cast ballots, and it seems to be working out well for Oregon.

Thanks to the iPad's accessibility features and intuitive interface, the disabled are able to adjust the screen's font size and colors. A "sip-and-puff" device can be used to control the iPad without ever touching the screen. A 75-year-old man with arthritis was able to vote without lifting a hand.

Oregon state officials have said that they plan to use the same iPad system in the special general election in January. The state spent $75,000 on developing the ballet software, and Apple donated 5 iPads for the experiment.

While users aren't actually voting from the iPads, they are submitting a ballet that's sent to a portable printer and then mailed to election offices.

(via The Associated Press)

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