The county of Los Angeles will have to make polling places more accessible to people with disabilities as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice after a federal investigation found the county violated the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Under the agreement with the federal government Thursday, the county will have to work with an independent accessibility expert to make sure the county government selects suitable vote centers without structural barriers.
There will also be biannual reports to the federal government on whether the county is making progress in complying with the agreement.
LA County was sued in June 2023 after the federal government found “the vast majority” of vote centers in the county posed hindrance to voters with abilities.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
The DOJ said, after surveying hundreds of polling places in June 2016, March 2020, November 2020 and November 2022, many of them had steep ramps, unstable walkways, inaccessible entrances in addition to lacking 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 department said in a statement.
The investigation also found that the county’s curbside voting program created hurdles for those with abilities, with some places lacking signet or election workers who can help 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.”
In response, while the county had disputed some of the allegations, i said "aging infrastructure" is to blame for creating such barriers.
"Our agreement with the DOJ is focused on this challenge – including the intricacies of sidewalk slopes, public transit access, and clear paths of travel leading to voting areas," LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan said.
Los Angeles County, the largest election jurisdiction in the nation, has more than 4 million registered voters with over 500 political districts.
