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Council approves early-voting plan for City Hall after heated accessibility debate; administration asked for ramp fixes or alternative accommodations
Summary
After lengthy public comment and debate about whether City Hall’s entrance meets practical accessibility needs, council approved the early-voting plan 4–2 and asked the administration to return with ramp-improvement proposals and contingency accommodations for voters with limited mobility.
The Livonia City Council approved the municipal early-voting plan — selecting City Hall as the designated early-voting location — by a 4–2 vote after a prolonged public discussion about accessibility for voters with limited mobility.
Multiple speakers, including League of Women Voters representative Paula Bowman and disability advocates, urged council to designate an alternative site or make accessible modifications because they said the existing ramp is difficult for older adults and people using walkers or wheelchairs. "Early voting should be accessible for everyone," Paula Bowman told the council.
The city clerk, identified in the discussion as Ms. Miller, said the engineering department measured the ramp and confirmed it meets current legal ADA slope requirements and that temporary accommodations — including moving a voting terminal to a voter’s car under supervision — were feasible as a backup. "Our engineering department did measure it and it does meet the minimum requirements," the clerk said when responding to council questions about accessibility testing.
Several members of the public described personal or observed difficulty navigating the ramp and urged the council to consider alternate public facilities (libraries, senior center or activity centers) used by nearby jurisdictions for early voting. Frank McDermott and other residents urged the council to choose a site that allows in-person access without requiring an absentee or vehicle-delivered ballot.
Council members who supported the plan said the clerk's office needs a secure, vetted location and noted statutory and notification deadlines that constrain moving the site immediately. Supporters also asked the administration to propose a short timeline for temporary physical improvements and contingency measures to ensure in-person voting access by the August election. Opponents argued those assurances were insufficient and warned of the risk of disenfranchising voters with mobility limitations.
The council approved the clerk’s plan 4–2 and added direction for the administration to provide ramp-improvement options and a contingency plan (including supervised relocation of equipment if necessary) to be reviewed at a forthcoming meeting.
