DETROIT – The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU) issued the following statement in response to today’s release of a new report by Detroit Disability Power (DDP), which details their findings after assessing Election Day polling locations in seven southeast Michigan counties last year. DDP’s assessment found that 90% of the 415 locations they assessed failed to meet basic accessibility standards for people with disabilities.
“Every eligible voter is legally entitled to equal access to the ballot box, yet the results from DDP’s new audit found that barriers to voting for people with disabilities continue to be shockingly pervasive in southeast Michigan. The fact that 90% of the polling places evaluated failed to meet all basic accessibility standards is unacceptable. The newest report also shows that voting access has gotten worse for this population rather than better when compared to previous DDP audits.
“We applaud DDP for not only continuing to draw attention to an ongoing problem with its new report, but for providing a roadmap on how to remedy it. We call on Michigan lawmakers and election officials throughout the state to immediately take action and carry out the much-needed fixes outlined in the report ahead of the upcoming elections. It is not only their duty to ensure all eligible voters, including people with disabilities, have equal access the ballot box, it is the law.”
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