Disabled voters speak up

Legislation proposing changes to the Utah election code is written in such a way that it disenfranchises voters with disabilities, a proponent of disabled Utahns' rights said.

Liz McCoy, an advocate with the Disability Law Center, says the Salt Lake City-based nonprofit organization supports the concept of early voting and common polling places — but not the present form of the proposed legislation sponsored by Rep. Douglas C. Aagard, R-Kaysville.

"We definitely see that there can be benefits if the law is written well and if it's written appropriately," McCoy said. "But we have some concerns about the legislation and the way it's written."

The DLC is requesting additions to the legislation to clarify or modify the location and definition of common polling places and to alter requirements of voter identification and polling-judge training for early voting.

Early voting and common polling places are among the key issues expected to be addressed during the Legislative session, which begins Jan. 16.

HB13 calls for modifications to the election code to allow for the use of common polling places, as well as increasing the number of active voters allowed per precinct from 1,000 to 2,000. In HB15, Aagard proposes that in-person voting be allowed up to two weeks prior to Election Day.

The purpose of the bills, he said, is to make the election process more accessible to all voters — including those with disabilities — and he's not opposed to making changes to the legislation to better achieve that purpose.

"If it's feasible and it makes sense, we'll look at doing it," Aagard said. "The whole thing is to get it out to the voters. We're coming leaps and bounds from where we were as far as helping the disabled."

The Disability Law Center would like to see the Legislature go even further.

The mission of the DLC is to support and enforce laws that have been passed to protect the civil rights of Utahns with disabilities, McCoy said.

One of those laws is the Help America Vote Act, passed by Congress in 2002 as a reaction to the voting problems in Florida during the 2000 presidential election. The DLC is federally mandated by the act to "ensure full participation in the electoral process for individuals with disabilities, including registering to vote, casting a vote and accessing polling places," she said.

The DLC has been working closely for the past two years with the lieutenant governor's office and county commissioners statewide, focusing primarily on polling place accessibility, McCoy said.

Aagard's bills, as written, do not adequately address that accessibility, she said.

One of the DLC's main concerns is the requirement in HB15 that a valid voter identification containing the name and photograph of the voter be presented at the time of voting. Although HB15 features an extensive list of options, the DLC is requesting that it also include:

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