NAHRO Votes

All eligible voters have the right to vote, especially voters with disabilities. Some of the accessibility options protected by law include:

• Service Animal Support 
• Someone to help you vote (not an employer or union representative)
• Handrails on all stairs at a voting location
• Accessible parking areas
• Voting and election materials in large print and/or audio format

You can learn more about ADA compliant polling places here: ADA Checklist for Polling Places 

Voters in need of accessibility accommodations may request assistance from their local or state election office here:  State and local election offices | USAGov.  

PHAs may consider the following informational activities, subject to agency review and applicable law:

• Share links to official voter information resources, including Vote.gov, state election offices, and local election administrators.
• Post neutral reminders encouraging residents to check official sources for voter registration deadlines, polling locations, voting procedures, and accessibility options.
• Include a nonpartisan civic information box in resident newsletters, lobby screens, websites, or resident portals.
• Direct residents with questions about eligibility, identification, deadlines, polling locations, or ballot access to official election administrators.
• Share official accessibility resources for voters with disabilities.
• Maintain copies of civic engagement materials distributed through agency channels.
• Use the same neutral message for all residents, regardless of political party, candidate preference, race, age, disability, income, housing program, or voting history.
• Encourage staff to follow agency ethics, personnel, and political activity rules when engaging in civic or political activity, especially during work hours or when using agency resources.

Some civic engagement activities may raise legal, funding, neutrality, ethics, liability, or resident-rights questions. PHAs should consult agency counsel before engaging in activities involving:

• Use of PHA funds for voter engagement.
• Use of staff time beyond sharing neutral public information.
• Use of PHA facilities for voter registration drives, candidate events, ballot measure discussions, or third-party civic events.
• Transportation to polling places, ballot drop boxes, election offices, or voter registration events.
• Resident council funds, PHA staff support, or PHA-controlled resources.
• Partnerships with outside organizations conducting voter registration or get-out-the-vote activity.
• Candidate forums, elected official appearances, campaign events, or ballot measure discussions.
• Co-branded materials with outside organizations.
• Communications that could be perceived as encouraging support for or opposition to a candidate, political party, or ballot measure.
• Activities targeted to residents based on political preference, party affiliation, candidate support, or voting history.

The IRS provides a useful nonpartisanship framework for tax-exempt organizations: voter education, voter registration, and get-out-the-vote activities may be permissible when conducted in a nonpartisan manner, but activities showing bias for or against a candidate may constitute prohibited campaign intervention.

To preserve public trust and protect residents, PHAs should avoid:

• Endorsing or opposing candidates, political parties, political committees, or partisan political positions.
• Suggesting that voting, registering to vote, or political participation will affect housing assistance, rent, waitlist status, inspections, maintenance, grievance rights, services, or agency treatment.
• Asking residents how they plan to vote.
• Asking residents about party affiliation, candidate preference, voting history, or intended vote.
• Targeting voter engagement based on party affiliation, candidate preference, political viewpoint, or voting history.
• Allowing campaign activity to occur through official PHA communications.
• Using PHA resources in a way that favors one candidate, party, or political viewpoint.
• Providing individualized legal advice about voter eligibility, identification requirements, criminal records, citizenship status, residency, or registration deadlines.
• Completing voter registration forms or ballots for residents unless specifically authorized and trained under applicable law.
• Publishing election deadlines without a system to verify and update them.
• Relying on rescinded HUD guidance as current authority.

Can PHAs share voter registration information?

PHAs may share links to official public resources, such as Vote.gov, state election offices, and local election administrators. PHAs should avoid giving individualized advice about eligibility, documentation, deadlines, or voting procedures because rules vary by state and locality. Vote.gov directs users to state-specific voting resources.

Can PHAs encourage residents to vote?

PHAs may share neutral, nonpartisan information directing residents to official election resources. PHAs should not pressure residents to vote, ask how they intend to vote, or connect voting activity to housing assistance, services, or agency treatment.

Can PHAs host a voter registration drive?

This should receive counsel review before moving forward. A PHA should evaluate the proposed partner, funding source, staff role, facility-use policy, neutrality safeguards, and applicable state or local election rules.

Can PHAs host a candidate forum?

Candidate forums are high-risk and should not be treated as routine civic engagement. Before hosting or supporting a forum, PHAs should consult counsel and ensure neutral criteria, equal treatment of candidates, nonpartisan questions, and no support for or opposition to any candidate or party. IRS guidance notes that candidate forums may qualify as educational activities if conducted in a nonpartisan manner, but a forum operated to show bias for or against any candidate may constitute campaign intervention.

Can resident councils conduct voter engagement?

Possibly, but resident council activity involving PHA resources, staff support, funds, facilities, or official communications should be reviewed carefully. Activities should remain strictly nonpartisan and should not imply that housing assistance is connected to voting.

Can PHAs provide transportation to the polls?

PHAs should not treat transportation as a standard recommended activity. Transportation connected to voting should receive counsel review because it may raise funding, neutrality, liability, equal access, and state election law questions.

Can PHA staff help residents fill out voter registration forms?

PHA staff should be cautious. Staff may direct residents to official resources, but should avoid providing legal advice or completing forms unless specifically authorized, trained, and permitted under applicable law.

Can PHAs share information about ballot measures?

Ballot measure activity should receive heightened review. Even where ballot measure rules differ from candidate election rules, PHA activity involving public resources, agency communications, or resident audiences may create legal, funding, or neutrality concerns.

What should PHAs do now that HUD rescinded prior PIH voter registration guidance?

PHAs should not rely on the rescinded 1996 PIH notice as current HUD guidance. HUD rescinded that notice effective July 2, 2025. PHAs should use a cautious, nonpartisan approach focused on directing residents to official public resources and should seek counsel review before using agency resources for voter engagement activity.

PHAs serve residents with diverse accessibility needs. NAHRO Votes can help agencies connect residents with official resources on accessible voting, language access, and voter assistance.

PHAs may consider:

• Sharing official accessibility resources from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
• Including accessibility reminders in resident communications.
• Encouraging residents with accessibility questions to contact their local election office.
• Ensuring NAHRO Votes materials are screen-reader friendly.
• Providing materials in accessible formats where feasible.
• Avoiding individualized legal advice about voter assistance rules.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission maintains resources for voters with disabilities and has a voting accessibility resource hub that discusses accessibility in the voting process.

Suggested button:
View Voting Accessibility Resources

Election rules vary by state and locality. NAHRO encourages PHAs to direct residents and staff to official election resources for the most accurate information about voter registration, voting options, accessibility, polling locations, and deadlines.

Rather than maintaining a static list of deadlines, NAHRO recommends directing members to official sources that are regularly updated.

State Resource Hub Format

For each state or territory, include:

• Official state election office.
• Vote.gov state registration page.
• Local election office finder, where available.
• Accessibility resources, where available.
• Reminder to verify deadlines and procedures with official election administrators.

Suggested note for this section:

Election deadlines and voting procedures may change. PHAs should confirm information through official state or local election offices before sharing time-sensitive election information with residents.