At the request of U.S.
Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and John McCain (R-AZ), the General Accounting Office
will monitor approximately 100 polling places on Election Day 2000 to determine the proportion of polling places that provide people with disabilities access to both polling
places and polling methods.
"The right to vote is arguably the most fundamental right in
America," Sen. Harkin stated in a Nov. 3rd press release. "Yet, for far too many of the millions of
Americans with disabilities, this right is hollow because local polling
places voting ballots are not accessible to them. The GAO investigation is
an important first step in determining how to address this problem."
This will mark the first
time since the 1984 passage of the
Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (VAA) that access
to polling places for person's with disabilities will be officially observed.
According the Senators Harkin and McCain, the GAO is to answer basic questions as
they conduct their study on November 7 across the country, such as:
How many polling places and ballots in the United States are
inaccessible to people with disabilities and what is the nature of this
inaccessibility?
Which states have standards to determine whether polling places and
ballots or other polling methods are accessible to people with
disabilities?
How do chief election officers ensure compliance with such standards?
Are there inspections?
How many states fail to meet the standards in the 1984 federal law?
In elections since the VAA took effect, disabled voters have reported
encountering steps instead of ramps, ballots they
could not read, and numerous other barriers to full participation in the
voting process. Recent studies suggest that 40-60% of polling places in
those states remain inaccessible to the disabled.
In his article, Are
You Going to Vote, About Guide to Disabilities Issues Gary Presley
estimates the number of people with disabilities eligible to vote at between 10
and 20 percent and offers the following suggestions for voters experiencing
accessibility problems:
Call your county clerk. Ask about the absentee voting procedure.
Call the local headquarters of one of the political party. Tell them you
want to vote, but you can't reach the polls.
Call the local office of the League of Women Voters.
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