A federal court in the Western District of Wisconsin has issued a preliminary injunction requiring the Town of Thornapple to provide an accessible voting system at its polling places for the upcoming November 5 federal general election. This decision follows a complaint filed by the United States on September 20, alleging that Thornapple had not complied with Section 301 of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) during previous elections.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated, "This preliminary injunction affirms the right of voters with disabilities to participate on the same terms as every other voter." She emphasized that HAVA ensures this right across all jurisdictions in the country.

The injunction mandates that Thornapple make an accessible voting system available and take several steps to ensure compliance. These include posting signs about the availability of such systems, training election officials on their use, certifying readiness by October 31, and allowing Justice Department monitoring.

HAVA was enacted in 2002 to enhance accessibility for voters with disabilities. It requires each polling place used for federal elections to have at least one system enabling voters with disabilities to vote privately and independently.

Further information on voting and related resources can be found at www.justice.gov/voting. Concerns about violations of federal voting rights laws may be reported via civilrights.justice.gov or by calling 1-800-253-3931.