The Seattle mayoral primary is basically over. It’s pretty clear who will advance, even if the vote isn’t certified. So it might seem silly to go look at accessibility of campaign websites now. But some folks look at how much Andrew Grant Houston’s campaign raised and spent for so few votes and are concerned. I think folks should not be surprised or concerned: a relative unknown candidate whose young and not white, running in a crowded field with many big names, is sadly likely to earn a combination of enthusiasm (money! volunteers!) and few votes. Lots of folks told themselves something like “I really like Ace but he isn’t going to be top two, so I voted for <probably González or Echohoawk>”.

One reason AGH for Seattle spent so much money is something they highlighted early on: prioritizing accessibility and inclusion on their website. I didn’t really look earlier in the campaigns as I already had a good idea who was in my top 3-4 pretty early. But lots of voters do look at campaign websites. The AGH campaign’s prioritizing of accessibility and inclusion shows even in a very brief visit using VoiceOver on my iPhone. VoiceOver is a screen reader which in the past I’ve had to use to do most anything on my phone due to vision loss (much of which has been improved with surgeries). I am not the most proficient screen reader user but I can get by and still use it at times when my eyes are too tired or sore (or I’m sitting with a hot pack on my eyes for 10-20 minutes). Anyway, I “looked” at AGH’s website using VoiceOver briefly, and then the two other candidates who were in my top three and then the candidate who currently is leading in votes in the primary.

Continue reading “(Some) Seattle mayoral campaign websites need improvement” →