American Association of People with Disabilities

AAPD Calls on Election Officials to Comply with
HAVA and Make Voting Accessible

(WASHINGTON, DC) November 14, 2005 — The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) today called on election officials around the country to comply with the January 1, 2006 deadline in the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) for every polling place in the country to be physically accessible and have at least one voting machine that enables voters with disabilities to vote independently and privately.

“With the HAVA accessibility deadline coming up in six weeks, we commend the election officials who have taken steps to ensure that polling places are accessible and their election systems comply with HAVA’s accessibility requirements,” said Andrew J. Imparato, AAPD President and CEO. “We are disappointed, however, that many election officials have been so slow in updating their election systems and designating accessible polling places.”

AAPD issued a statement of principles in June of 2005 pushing jurisdictions across the U.S. to purchase voting systems that are accessible, secure, accurate and recountable. AAPD has emphasized the need for independence and privacy at all stages of the voting process—making one’s selections, verifying one’s selections, and casting one’s vote. AAPD has worked with voting machine manufacturers to promote accessibility in all three stages, and will continue to work with these companies to improve their products.

AAPD is concerned that machines on the market today cannot deliver full independence and privacy to voters with all types of disabilities in all three stages of the voting process. These concerns are not limited to one manufacturer or one type of election system.

“Election officials must demand full accessibility from the election equipment industry, consistent with the requirements of HAVA and other civil rights laws. We are watching the decisions that are being made in advance of the January deadline, and we are prepared to go to court to enforce full accessibility for voters with disabilities,” noted Jim Dickson, AAPD’s Vice President for Government Affairs and a key proponent of the HAVA accessibility language.

“Ultimately, it is the election officials who must insist on full accessibility, pushing for contractual commitments from manufacturers to correct any accessibility problems in time for the 2006 primary elections,” said Imparato. “We look forward to strong enforcement from the U.S. Department of Justice, and we are hopeful that election officials will become more aggressive in pushing for greater access from their vendors,” he continued.

Founded on the fifth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, AAPD is the largest cross-disability membership organization in the U.S.

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country's largest cross-disability membership organization, promotes the economic and political empowerment of all 56 million children and adults with disabilities in the U.S. It was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters, and to be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). AAPD members have access to a full range of financial services through a federal credit union, a discounted mail order prescription program, and a quarterly AAPD newsletter. For additional member benefits, or to learn more about AAPD's advocacy efforts and major program areas, visit the AAPD website.