Lawsuit Targets Inaccessible Voting Machines
The American Association of People with Disabilities has filed suit against four California counties and the California secretary of state for failure to make accessible voting machines available for people with disabilities. "With the new voting technology, there really is no excuse," says Jim Dickson, AAPD's vice president for government affairs. "Federal law makes clear that this is illegal discrimination. It also denies us our fundamental right to vote."

According to the complaint, California's secretary of state failed to require accessible voting machines in four of the state's most populous counties. On March 2, the counties of San Francisco, Sacramento and Santa Barbara conducted elections without any accessible voting machines, and Los Angeles County had touch-screen machines in only one location.

AAPD is joined by the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers, the California Council of the Blind and individual disabled voters. At issue is whether the state violated federal law by failing to provide the new touch-screen or direct-recording machines, which can be equipped to accommodate people who have difficulty holding a pen. Plaintiffs claim violation of the U.S. Constitution, the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.