Access the Vote: USAO, IDR working to ensure early voting sites accessible for all voters

INDIANA (WFIE) - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana and Indiana Disability Rights are partnering to survey the accessibility of early polling sites for 2023 General Election.

A release shows the project, “Access the Vote,” uses survey results to inform County Clerks about individualized solutions to ensure their polling places are accessible to voters with disabilities.

Officials say IDR has conducted accessibility surveys, based on the United States Department of Justice’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Checklist for Polling Places, during early voting in several primary and general elections.

The USAO’s participation provides needed additional personnel to survey more counties and helps to raise awareness of the “Access the Vote” project.

The ADA requires all aspects of in-person voting – both early and on Election Day – to comply with accessibility requirements, including those for accessible parking and the route of travel to the voting area.

The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) mandates additional accessibility measures, such as the provision of a working accessible voting machine at each polling place. Using a combination of IDR and USAO staff, as well as trained community partners, Access the Vote identifies potential ADA and HAVA violations and opportunities to remedy them.

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