Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Advocates say many D.C. vote centers and ballot drop boxes remain inaccessible; Board of Elections outlines fixes
Summary
Disability Rights DC presented data showing structural and operational barriers at multiple vote centers and drop boxes in 2024; the Board of Elections acknowledged some issues and said it is working with partners to address accessibility before future elections.
Disability Rights DC told the Council’s Committee on Executive Administration and Labor on Feb. 19 that surveys of the District’s vote centers and ballot drop boxes during the 2024 election cycle found persistent accessibility problems that can prevent voters with disabilities from voting in person or using ballot drop boxes.
Lindsay Niles, managing attorney at Disability Rights DC (DRDC) at University Legal Services, said DRDC surveyed all vote centers during the June 2024 primary and nearly all vote centers during the November 2024 general election. She summarized the findings: “During the entire 2024 election cycle, DRDC surveys found 12 unique vote centers to be structurally inaccessible,” and operational inaccessibility was widespread, including “failing to provide accessible parking, failing to appropriately place adequate signage, and failing to staff curbside voting areas.”
DRDC provided more precise figures in its testimony: during…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
