Author: Gary O. Bartlett, Executive Director
In advance of the 2012 general election, counties are to electronically submit polling place accessibility surveys, dated in 2012, for all voting places. The year 2012 will bring an intense scrutiny upon the accessibility of our voting places. Ensuring that our voting places are accessible to all voters is a top priority, and a complete statewide inventory will help to avoid problems in November. To review an existing and longstanding policy, a version of a polling place accessibility survey should be completed every even-numbered year for every voting place. A newly-formatted 3-page version of the survey is attached. It can be:
- Completed on the computer, or
- Printed, completed and then scanned in.
Counties should submit to the SBE office a new survey, completed in 2012, for every voting site, including Election Day precinct polling places, one-stop sites and the CBE office itself. The form must be signed by the County Board Director, County Board Chair, and a County Representative if applicable. However, the actual inspection can be delegated to Chief Judges at precincts or the staff manager of a one-stop voting site. Note that these officials could complete the survey during the likely second primary or during down time in the one-stop voting period.*
The U.S. Department of Justice provides a 39-page ADA “checklist” that is a helpful resource to have on hand as a printout and to refer to while conducting inspections (although please complete the 3-page checklist for submission to SBE). The ADA document can be found at ADA Checklist for Polling Places (PDF).
The polling place surveys should be scanned and faxed to SBE with the attached cover sheet. The cover sheet includes instructions and the fax number. Do not mail hard copies of polling place accessibility surveys. SBE is requiring the surveys to be submitted by Friday, Aug. 10, 2012.
Please wait to submit the materials until all surveys have been completed, so the surveys arrive in one batch.
Note that if your sites are not in compliance with ADA standards, that information should be communicated to SBE and/or highlighted in your county’s 2012 wellness check. As always, thank you for your cooperation.
*If your county submitted a polling place accessibility survey (current and conducted/dated in 2012) for any sites as part of its implementation plan for one-stop sites in the 2012 primary, those files are already on-file and do not need to be resent.
↓ 2012 Polling Place Accessibility Surveys: Numbered Memo 2012-09 (PDF)