SENATORS RELEASE RESULTS OF GAO REPORT ON POLL ACCESS FOR OLDER & DISABLED VOTERS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today Senators Herb Kohl (D-WI), Mel Martinez (R-FL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Bob Bennett (R-UT), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), and Tom Harkin (D-IA) released a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) that estimates only 27 percent of polling places across the country possess all the required features to facilitate private and independent voting for older and disabled voters.  A Rutgers University study indicated that people with disabilities are roughly 15 percent less likely to vote than those without, and with the rapid aging of America's population, the number of voters who may face challenges due to impaired mobility will likely grow.

 

The report follows up on a study conducted by GAO during the 2000 elections, which found that only 16 percent of polling sites surveyed nationwide were fully accessible to people with disabilities. In 2002, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002, to require polling places to provide at least one voting system that is fully accessible for those with disabilities. GAO sought to determine the extent to which states and localities have taken the necessary steps to improved accessibility by visiting randomly selected polling places across the country on Election Day 2008. To conduct the study, GAO observed features and voting methods that could impede access and interviewed polling officials at the locations, which were representative of polling places nationwide.

 

The report released today found that, compared to 2000, the proportion of polling places with potential impediments decreased. However, GAO estimates that 73 percent of polling places still have features that might impede access to the voting area for people with disabilities.  Additionally, while most polling places have voting systems to facilitate private and independent voting for people with disabilities, nearly a third of those systems still pose challenges, particularly for voters in wheelchairs.

 

Senators requested that GAO conduct the study following a hearing held by the Special Committee on Aging just before Super Tuesday in 2008. The hearing focused on older voters and the various barriers they face in exercising their right to vote, covering issues of poll accessibility, voting within long-term care settings, and on-going concerns that Voter ID laws can disproportionately disenfranchise seniors. Older individuals historically represent a politically-active group, particularly during primary elections which typically attract a lower level of voter turnout.  

 

Today's report is the first in a series of three that GAO will release on voting accessibility this year. The next report is expected in September and will provide more detail on whether voting access at polling places has improved since 2000, identify state practices to facilitate access, and describe the role played by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in enforcing voting access under HAVA. The final report will be released in November and will focus on voting practices for residents in long-term care facilities.

 

The report was requested jointly by the following:

 

 

"There is no doubt that progress has been made since the last time GAO looked at this issue, but with 73 percent of polling places still not fully accessible, we are a far cry from where we need to be," said Senator Kohl. "The Department of Justice has the jurisdiction to enforce the poll accessibility laws we have in place, and I look forward to working with them to ensure that nothing stands in the way of older and disabled voters exercising their right to vote."

 

"Every American should have access to participate in the democratic process and the assurance that each vote will be properly counted," said Senator Martinez. "I thank GAO for conducting their study, and look forward to reviewing their findings."

 

"I am pleased to see the improvements documented in this report. Many impediments to voting have been removed, and most polling places now have at least one accessible voting machine. I am concerned, however, that almost three-fourths of voting stations still have problems and that many do not offer voters in wheelchairs the same privacy as able-bodied voters. Work remains to be done. We must ensure that all Americans who are eligible to cast ballots are able to do so, and that people are not prevented from participating in the democratic process because they cannot access the polls," said Senator Feinstein.

 

"Even though the number of polling places with potential impediments has decreased since 2000, we still have a long way to go to ensure people with disabilities have full access to the ballot box," said Senator Harkin.  "We have to continue to work to make sure every American - regardless of disability - has the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote on election day."

 

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The GAO report can be found here: http://www.aging.senate.gov/letters/gaooldervoterstudy.pdf