HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced a settlement with Lackawanna County under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act to improve physical accessibility at the county’s polling places for individuals who use wheel chairs and other mobility aids, and for individuals who are blind or have vision impairments.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, during the May 16, 2017 primary election, the United States Attorney’s Office, along with an architect from the Department of Justice, surveyed a portion of the county’s polling place locations. The survey resulted in a finding that many of the county’s polling places contain barriers to access for persons with disabilities. Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by a state or local government in any of its programs or services, including its voting program.
Lackawanna County is working collaboratively with the United States Attorney’s Office to make all polling places accessible. Under the terms of the agreement, the county will use an evaluation form for each current and prospective polling place based on ADA architectural standards. The settlement requires the county to either relocate inaccessible polling places to new, accessible facilities, or to use temporary measures such as portable ramps, signs, traffic cones and doorbells, where appropriate to ensure accessibility on Election Day.
“I commend Lackawanna County for agreeing to achieve our shared goal of making polling places accessible to all eligible voters with a disability," said U.S. Attorney Freed. “Individuals with disabilities have a fundamental right to participate in our democracy and barriers to access polling places must not diminish or restrict that right."
This investigation was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Butler, the civil rights coordinator for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, with the assistance of the United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (Disability Rights Section). Those interested in finding out more about the ADA can access the ADA website at www.ada.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
