Wednesday, March 13, 2019
The Justice Department reached an agreement with Harris County, Texas, to resolve its lawsuit alleging that Harris County violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide an accessible voting program to voters with disabilities, including accessible polling places. Harris County’s voting program—the third largest in the country—includes over 750 polling places. The Justice Department’s complaint alleges that many polling places in Harris County have architectural barriers—such as steep ramps, gaps in sidewalks and walkways, and locked gates along the route barring pedestrian access—that make them inaccessible to voters with mobility impairments or voters who are blind or visually impaired. Under the agreement, Harris County will create and implement policies, practices, and procedures to bring its voting program into compliance with the ADA, including creating an effective system for selecting accessible facilities for polling places, surveying polling place facilities for accessibility barriers, procuring and implementing temporary accessibility remedies during elections, providing effective curbside voting, and hiring Subject Matter Experts to provide technical assistance and training to the County as well as provide reports to the parties on the County’s compliance with the agreement.
If you are interested in finding out more about the ADA or this agreement you can visit the ADA website or call the toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 or 1-800-514-0383 (TDD).
Article Credit: U.S. Department of Justice
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