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LA County agrees to make voting centers more accessible
A voter drops her ballot off in a ballot box outside the Los Angeles County Registrar in Norwalk during the 2022 midterm elections on November 8, 2022.
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Frederic J. Brown
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Topline:
Changes could be coming to voting centers for L.A. County to make them more accessible to voters with vision and mobility disabilities. The move is part of a settlement reached between the county and U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday.
Why now: The Justice Department alleged L.A. County failed to give safe access into polling places for voters with disabilities to cast their ballots. Those findings came after an investigation, which was part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Voting Initiative.
What are the changes: Under the agreement, L.A. County must work with an independent accessibility expert for three years to make sure polling sites meet the needs of voters with disabilities.
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Why it matters: Los Angeles County is the largest election jurisdiction in the United States, with more than 500 political districts and about 4.3 million registered voters, according to the Justice Department.
The backstory: The Justice Department surveyed the county’s polling locations since 2016 and found that most locations fell short. Barriers like steep ramps without handrails, inaccessible parking, and abrupt slopes at walkways and entrance doors were among the problems identified.
Read the full statement here.
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