North Dakota Protection & Advocacy Project
01/07/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/07/2025 13:37
P&A Releases Report on Poll Site Accessibility
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
P&A Releases Report on Poll Site Accessibility
Bismarck, ND - In the United States, 1 in 6 eligible voters have a disability. Federal law mandates that voters with disabilities have the same opportunity to vote as people without disabilities. This includes ensuring physical accessibility at poll sites. The North Dakota Protection & Advocacy Project (P&A) partnered with the state's four centers for independent living to examine poll site accessibility leading up to the 2024 election.
Eighty-seven (87) voting sites were surveyed across 46 of North Dakota's 53 counties. Surveys were conducted in buildings owned by state, county, or municipal governments that serve as polling locations. The purpose of this project was to assess and identify improvements for poll site accessibility in these buildings for people with disabilities statewide.
Each surveyor used a standardized assessment tool to examine basic accessibility features required for voters with disabilities. A report released today, identifies that 6% of locations surveyed were fully compliant with accessibility requirements and 87% of locations surveyed had non-compliant accessibility elements that could be remedied with temporary measures. Parking was overwhelmingly identified as the biggest accessibility challenge at state, county, and municipal buildings. Read the full report at https://www.ndpanda.org/resources/voting.
The right to vote for all citizens, especially those with disabilities is critical, with every ballot cast being an opportunity to shape our communities. P&A recognizes that the Secretary of State's Office and County Auditors do their best every day to ensure North Dakotan's can participate in the electoral process, but they need help and resources. P&A encourages the ND Legislature to invest in accessibility improvements at our government buildings used for election activities.
The North Dakota Protection & Advocacy Project is a federally mandated, independent state agency established in 1977 to advance the human and legal rights of people with disabilities. P&A's mission is to champion the equality and inclusion of people with disabilities where we live, work and play.
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