A new report from Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. found that 30% of polling places in Delaware did not have adequate accessible parking.
These locations either lacked designated accessible parking or did not meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards, according to the CLASI Disabilities Law Program.
The report comes just days before polling places open statewide for the school board elections. However, the findings outlined in the report aren’t anything new, Disabilities Law Program Project Director Laura Waterland said.
Waterland said she and others at CLASI have raised the issue of accessibility to the Delaware Department of Elections “over and over again.”
And while the department has been accommodating in allowing CLASI and students working with them to conduct surveys at polling places to put together reports on accessibility, Waterland said the Department of Elections has not taken the necessary steps to ensure all polling places are accessible.
A Department of Elections spokesperson said that the department is “in the process of reviewing the concerns raised.”
“We plan to assess all locations included in the report, and to work diligently to resolve the issues identified,” the spokesperson said.
What are the issues with polling place accessibility?
The findings in the 2022 Delaware General Election Accessibility Report — the most comprehensive one of its kind, according to Waterland — came from assessments of over half of polling places across the state, as well as early voting locations.
Of the data gathered, Waterland said she was most surprised to find that 37% of schools serving as polling sites were not accessible, despite all public schools having to meet basic ADA requirements — meaning that while the infrastructure was there, the designated polling areas did not have access to it.
Issues with accessible infrastructure inside polling places also make it hard for many people to cast their votes, the report found. Many poll workers were not trained on how to use accessibility features such as ones that read candidate names aloud and would instead go into the voting booths with people.
How can these problems be fixed?
Many of these barriers have easy solutions, Waterland said, and can be easily paid for with government support. Training poll workers on how to use accessibility features is key, as is ensuring accessible parking, even if it’s only during polling hours.
Making parking accessible can be as simple as temporarily blocking off two adjacent parking spots near the door and designating one as an aisle with enough space for people to leave their vehicle and fit a mobility aid if needed, Waterland explained.
The Department of Elections said the process of implementing these fixes can be “challenging,” but a department spokesperson said they will work with the community to “ensure a safe and efficient voting process for all voters, including those with disabilities.”
If these issues are not addressed, Waterland said some people might choose to just stay home instead of casting their ballots. Many have already told her and others at CLASI that they feel discouraged.
“You should want everybody who is eligible to vote to be able to vote,” Waterland said.
The Disabilities Law Program plans to conduct another survey of polling place accessibility in Delaware during the 2024 General Election.
Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.
