National Disability Rights Network Releases Report on Misuse of ADA to Close Voting Polls

The accessibility of voting polls is a significant challenge people with disabilities face when seeking to vote, making the National Disability Rights Network’s (NDRN) new paper deeply concerning to the disability community.

As written by NDRN:

“We found that jurisdictions with recent DOJ settlements were working hard to make their polling places more accessible, cooperating with DOJ, and avoiding consolidation/closure as much as possible. Alternatively, we found that jurisdictions noted for their attempts to close a large percentage of polling places typically were not under a DOJ settlement, did not provide ADA surveys of polling places, were not working with the disability community, and acted after being released from federal preclearance under the Voting Rights Act following the Shelby v Holder decision in 2013. The report also combats the myth that ADA compliance at polling places is so expensive it forces closures, and we provide practical, typically low cost solutions for making polling places accessible.”

Through its Grassroots Work Group, ANCOR will be engaging in a non-partisan get out the vote (GOTV) project, focusing on people with disabilities and the direct support professionals (DSPs) who support them. ANCOR members interested in learning more about the Grassroots Work Group are encouraged to reach out to Doris Parfaite-Claude at [email protected].