Poll access for all

The Trenton Times

Poll access for all

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

A sampling of polling places during the June 2007 New Jersey primary election found that 80 percent were deficient in handicap accessibility requirements.

That disheartening figure was the result of a study done by the state Department of the Public Advocate, which sent inspectors to polling stations around the state to see if they were accessible to people with disabilities and senior citizens, as required by law.

Of the 121 polling places that the Public Advocate inspected, only 24 fully complied with the legal requirements for accessibility. In 59 percent of the sites, some sort of physical barrier impeded access to the polling area, such as narrow doorways and steps without a ramp. Another 21 percent failed to post the required signs to maintain handicapped parking spaces or otherwise conform to accessibility laws.

Just as troubling is the discovery that officials from six of the nine county boards of elections certified as accessible every single one of their respective facilities.

Clearly, more has to be done to ensure that voters with disabilities have equal access to the voting process, which is the linchpin of our democratic form of government.

A step in that direction is bill A1930 sponsored by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, D- Princeton Borough, that would require poll workers to be instructed in the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as it relates to the rights of voters and obligations of polling places under the act. Poll workers already must undergo training to perform their duties; the bill merely requires that these valuable election workers be made aware of the needs of people with disabilities.

The Assembly approved the bill last month and now it awaits a sponsor to pick up the cause in the Senate. We strongly urge the Senate to act on this measure when it returns from summer recess so that the governor can sign it in time for the November election.

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