Global Courant
The U.S. Department of Justice has accused Los Angeles County of repeatedly failing to ensure that voters with disabilities can enter polling stations, polling stations and cast their ballots during recent elections.
In a federal complaint archived Thursday, the department alleged the county routinely violated Americans with Disabilities Act and risked disenfranchising Angelenos with visual and mobility disabilities.
Since 2016, the DOJ has regularly questioned counties voting locations and ballot boxes during elections, the lawsuit said. Each time it said it found places that don’t meet the ADA’s standards.
Prosecutors said that while federal officials brought deficiencies to the county’s attention, local officials failed to remedy them, repeatedly hampering residents’ voting power. The alleged problems include a lack of accessible parking for vans and steep inclines without handrails.
“Voting is a fundamental right and we will do everything we can to ensure it is not restricted or denied to anyone in our community,” said US Atty. Martin Estrada in a statement. “Through this lawsuit, we are demanding that Los Angeles County give persons with disabilities an opportunity to participate in the county’s voting program equivalent to that for non-disabled persons.”
The lawsuit cites a wheelchair-using voter — referred to only as “DG” — who said she had difficulty accessing a polling station at a senior facility in Chatsworth during the August 2019 special election.
“During that entire voting process, no voting staff or officer of that polling station ever assisted DG in the street voting,” the lawsuit said. “DG reported that she was appalled and frustrated by her treatment at the polling place and that she felt she had lost her freedom to vote privately and independently like everyone else.”
The department requested a court order requiring the county to comply with the ADA and develop a plan to resolve the violations within a month.
The county, which typically declines to comment on pending litigation, released a statement saying it disputes the allegations and has been working with voters with disabilities to design the county’s voting services.
County officials said they had been working with the DOJ since last month to address the deficiencies and avoid a lawsuit, but talks “came to an abrupt halt.”
“I am discouraged by this action despite our sincere efforts to agree on a reasonable settlement. The claims in the press release do not reflect Los Angeles County’s voting model or service delivery,” Dean Logan, the county clerk, said in a statement. “That said, we remain committed to addressing accessibility issues in an equitable and effective manner.”
