Justice Department Secures Agreement with Los Angeles County to Ensure Vote Center Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities

LOS ANGELES - The Justice Department today announced an agreement with the County of Los Angeles to resolve its lawsuit alleging that the county violated the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) by denying voters with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in its voting programs, services, and activities when it failed to select and use facilities as polling places that are accessible to persons with disabilities.

The lawsuit was filed in June 2023 following a lengthy investigation that found the county excluded individuals with disabilities from participating in the county's in-person voting program. The United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of California had surveyed hundreds of polling places in the June 2016, March 2020, November 2020 and November 2022 elections and found the vast majority had architectural barriers, such as steep ramps, abrupt level changes at walkways and entrance doors, and lack of accessible parking. These impediments prevented people with mobility and vision disabilities from being able to safely access vote centers and cast their ballots in person. The lawsuit also alleged that the county's curbside voting program was inaccessible, as certain vote centers lacked signage indicating that curbside voting was available or failed to provide sufficient means by which a voter could contact an election worker for assistance with curbside voting.

"The right to vote is essential to our democracy and must be protected for all voters," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. "Voters with disabilities are entitled to an equal opportunity to vote in person, privately and independently, alongside their neighbors and friends. We commend Los Angeles County for its commitment to work with the Justice Department to ensure equal access for individuals with disabilities."

"People with disabilities are entitled to full inclusion at the ballot box," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "The Justice Department is committed to safeguarding the right of every eligible voter, including voters with disabilities, to participate in our electoral process. This agreement should send a message to officials across the country regarding the need to ensure the accessibility of the voting process now."

The settlement, which was filed with the Court earlier today, will increase voter accessibility for voters with disabilities. Under the agreement, Los Angeles County will work with an independent accessibility expert on site selection policies and procedures to ensure that the county selects facilities, buildings, sites, or locations to serve as vote centers that are accessible or can be made more accessible during the voting period by employing temporary remedial measures. To achieve this commitment, the county has agreed to work with the expert and the United States to implement recommendations. The expert will provide biannual reports to the United States on the county's progress in complying with the agreement. The expert will also consult with the county on its identification and use of temporary remedial measures for accessibility.

With more than 500 political districts and approximately 4.3 million registered voters, Los Angeles County is the largest election jurisdiction in the nation.

This settlement is part of the Department's ADA Voting Initiative, which focuses on protecting the voting rights of individuals with disabilities. A hallmark of the ADA Voting Initiative is its collaboration with jurisdictions to increase accessibility at polling places. Through this Initiative, the Department has surveyed more than 1,600 polling places and increased polling place accessibility in more than 35 jurisdictions, including Chicago; Hidalgo County, Texas; Cumberland County, Pennsylvania; and Coconino County, Arizona.

Those interested in finding out more about this settlement or the ADA may call the Justice Department's toll-free ADA information line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TDD) or access its ADA website at www.ada.gov. ADA complaints may be filed online at http://www.ada.gov/complaint/

Assistant United States Attorneys Richard Park, Katherine Hikida, Matthew Barragan, Margaret Chen, and Alexandra Young for the Central District of California handled the matter, in coordination with the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division's Disability Rights Section.

Last month marked the 34th anniversary of the ADA, which President George H.W. Bush signed into law on July 26, 1990. The ADA was the world's first comprehensive civil rights law for persons with disabilities. As we celebrate the 34th anniversary of the ADA, we take time to recognize the benefits of the ADA while also appreciating that there is still work to be done to achieve the enduring goals of equity, inclusion, and accessibility for persons with disabilities.

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