Committee advances bill to require accessible parking and curbside voting at vote centers

AB 287, authored by Assemblymember Tom Lackey, was approved by the Assembly Elections Committee after testimony from county elections officials, disability advocates and school district representatives. The bill requires public buildings used as vote centers and polling places to provide election officials with adequate interior space, accessible parking spaces and designated curbside voting locations when requested.

Aaron Navaras, assistant registrar-recorder/county clerk for Los Angeles County, said the bill clarifies the obligation for schools and public buildings to provide space for voting equipment and storage and to make free accessible parking and curbside voting areas available. "This bill would provide election administrators with more efficient operations, but most importantly, to make polling places and vote centers in California more accessible to voters with disabilities," Navaras told the committee.

Eric Harris, director of public policy at Disability Rights California, testified the measure “helps close [a] gap” by ensuring accessible parking and curbside spaces are available if requested, and that those elements are “core components of the voting location.” LA County staff said about one in four vote centers lacked a ready place for curbside or accessible parking; a Los Angeles Unified School District representative urged amendments to address under-parked older campuses and to allow reimbursement for reasonable costs of storing or relocating school items during the voting period.

Committee members voiced broad support and requested collaboration with school districts to identify sites that can accommodate the requirements without displacing students or staff. The committee passed AB 287; the recorded outcome was reported as 6 to 0.