After federal lawsuit, LA County must make voting centers compliant with ADA

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- During the March primary earlier this year, Canoga Park resident Carrie Madden, who is disabled, made a mistake on her vote-by-mail ballot.

She decided to vote in person at the nearest Los Angeles County vote center.

"It pointed us to a door for accessibility and I asked my helper, please open the door and he couldn't do it. He pulled on it with all his strength. We went back through the doorway. Nobody had propped open the door for the next wheelchair user and nobody had turned on any lights. They knew these two were an issue, but nobody thought to fix it," said Carrie Madden, an L.A .County voter.

A volunteer at the vote center was eventually able to open the door and Madden cast her ballot, but afterwards she decided to report the issues to the department of justice because she didn't want other disabled individuals to have the same experience. Turns out, madden wasn't alone and became part of a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Attorney's office which has now been settled with LA County. As part of the lawsuit, 100 LA County vote centers were surveyed and almost all of them violated the Americans With Disabilities Act.

"They had architectural barriers. Things such as steep slopes. Wide gaps and abrupt level changes in walkways or entrance doors. Protruding objects from walls and lack of accessible parking. The county has agreed to first hire an independent accessibility expert who will help develop policies and procedures to help select new voting centers that provide for accessibility for people with visual and mobility disabilities," said Martin Estrada, United States Attorney for the Central District of California.

In a statement, LA County Registrar Dean Logan said in part: "What is also clear is that the county is challenged by aging infrastructure and available facilities to serve as vote centers that meet the rigorous standards for physical access under the ADA. Our agreement with the DOJ is focused on this challenge - including the intricacies of sidewalk slopes, public transit access, and clear paths of travel leading to voting areas"

"The right to vote is an essential civil right. a democracy cannot exist without affording its citizens the right to vote. Too often we neglect people with disabilities in our community. But, fighting for accessibility is a core civil right," said Estrada.

The issues found at L.A. County vote centers date back to the 2016 election. L.A. County has agreed to fix these issues over the next three years with some changes coming as soon as this October when in-person voting begins. The historic settlement comes as the nation celebrates the 34th anniversary of the Americans Disabilities Act.