Section 04 010 002 - VOTING ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINESThese guidelines have been prepared and adopted by the Secretary of State and are designed to meet the minimum requirements of the "Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act" ( P.L. 98-435), as well as to conform to state elections law. These guidelines rely upon national architectural and construction standards and shall be in effect beginning with the Primary elections in September 1986. These guidelines are intended to promote the goal of total accessibility for all voters, in a manner that is feasible, cost effective, and equitable.
Polling Place Accessibility
In order to improve access to polling places in Vermont, each town shall:
(1) survey all potential polling places in the voting district to determine if an accessible place is available; (2) if no accessible place is available, make temporary or permanent modifications to the polling place so that it is accessible on election day; (3) if neither of the above options is possible, the presiding officer shall certify to the Secretary of State that no such accessible place is available nor is the town able to make one temporarily accessible. The town shall then permit a handicapped or elderly person to vote in one of two ways: (1) if the person is able to enter the building containing the polling place although not the room containing the polling place, he or she may vote in another location in the building where adequate privacy can be provided; or (2) the voter may cast his or her ballots with the assistance of election officials while in a motor vehicle adjacent to the polling place. A polling place shall be deemed accessible when it meets the following guidelines on election day:
04-002 Code Vt. R. 04-010-002-X
Effective Date: June 1986 (Secretary of State Rule Log #86-39)