U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff of the Western District of Texas announced Tuesday that the United States has reached an agreement with the Travis County Clerk’s Office to ensure that the county provides accessible polling places to voters with disabilities. The agreement resolves a federal investigation into Travis County’s compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
More than 50 of the polling places Travis County used during the 2020 Primary Election were surveyed and it was determined that all polling places in the county contained sonme form of barrier for voters with disabilities, such as a lack of van accessible parking, excessively sloped ramps, excessively sloped routes to the entrance, and protruding objects. In addition, the accessible voting machines lacked knee and toe clearance to accommodate wheelchairs and lacked the same level of privacy afforded to other voters.
Under the terms of the agreement, the county will be required to either relocate voting to new facilities, or to use temporary measures such as portable ramps, signs, traffic cones, and doorbells to ensure accessibility. In addition, Travis County will train its poll workers and other elections staff on the requirements of the ADA and how to use temporary measures to ensure each polling place is accessible.
“The right to vote is a foundation of our democracy and must not be diminished or restricted by barriers to access at polling sites,” said U.S. Attorney Hoff. “Under this agreement, eligible voters with disabilities in Travis County will be able to exercise their fundamental right to vote and participate in our democracy.”
