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Supporting All Connecticut Voters

Election Access: Solutions for all Voting Places

MICHELLE MROZKOWSKI, Election Services

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Who We Are

• Work with advocates and people with disabilities -- leading provider of accessibility solutions for elections

• Work with 50 states, 250 solutions for polling place access• Assist with survey review, access solutions, accessible voting

accessories and more• Provide solutions for all elements of disability access to elections• Support elections and polling places that are of universal design.• Provide other election services

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Connecticut HHS Funding & HAVA Funding

Connecticut is the only State in the US, other than mail-only, to not use one dime of HHS Funding to address physical access issues at polling places.

Why?

• Previous administration did not make it a priority

• Challenges of Home Rule and registrars vs. clerks

• Vendors not working with municipalities

The Good News: It is possible to use discretionary HAVA funding, like KS and NY to purchase items to improve physical access.

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Scope of Polling Place Access

• GAO Report 2001 – 67% fully inaccessible• In the 2008 audit, the GAO estimated that 27% of polling

places had no access barriers, including at parking, building entrances, or on the route to voting area. Improvement from 16% in 2000

• Common Challenges– Sites not controlled or operated by the town– Homes, churches or clubs not covered by ADA– And even ADA – Covered ones not always accessible – and you

get blamed.– Political and Cost limitations

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Polls Need Lower Cost, Temporary Solutions

Many locations are in private facilities (homes and churches) – not covered by the ADA, except on election day– election administrators don’t have control over facility.

Some public sites have not been made accessible Public funds can’t be spent on private facilities for

permanent changes

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Why Temporary Solutions?

• Permanent Changes– Large Up Front Cost– Not Allowed by Facility– Site Has Possibility of Changing

• Absentee is an option for voters with disabilities, but voters who want to vote in-person on election day MUST be allowed to do so.

• Sometimes the only appropriate building to use in a jurisdiction does not meet guidelines, but could, with a little help (improved signage, temporary accessible parking, curbside alert for assistance, voting booths of universal design)

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CT’s Challenge: Ways to Meet It

• Department of Health and Human Services has given $100,000/year to CT for 6 years, which ends after 2011- this money was contracted for maintenance for phone system, there is no money for physical access.

• Unrestricted HAVA funds have been used for physical access also in NY, IL, NC, TN, KS

• States have either made purchases for locales or allowed for special grant funding for physical access items.

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So How Do Other States Do it?MODEL 1: Bulk Purchase:State Election Officials ask locals what they want for

accessibility and buy it in bulk. This includes– New Hampshire– Indiana (originally)– Kansas– Maryland– Nebraska– Oklahoma– Hawaii– Alaska– Tennessee– Nevada

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Second Option

MODEL 2: Allocated Funds

Counties or Municipalities are earmarked a certain amount for access and must spend it on qualifying activities– Alabama– Illinois– Texas– New York

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Third OptionMODEL 3: Grant ApplicationIn the majority of states, counties or municipalities

apply to the state for accessibility funds with proposals from vendors and state determines which projects are funded. Just a few states doing this include– Vermont, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina,

South Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Arkansas, Georgia, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, California

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• We have provided cities and counties nationwide with dedicated survey kits to allow a resurvey of location with specific tools

• Survey Tools include – Smart tool level– ADA tape measure– Door pressure gauge– Door hardware sheet– CD Rom on surveying sites– Packed into a case

Ideas for Products and Grants: Connecticut Survey Tools and and Survey Kits

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Parking Lots• Unpaved lots – matting

– Lack of Signage• Permanent and temporary signs

– Lack of parking/access aisle• Stripe or set up cones – other products

– Creation of accessible parking space

Polling Place Access Solutions For Connecticut

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Additional Parking Solutions

– Create accessible parking spaces where there are none.

– Create street or lot parking.

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Ramps: Many Different Types Available for All Types of Needs

• Thresholds – rubber and alumninum• Suitcase• Pathway w or w/o Handrails• Level Landing

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Signs

• Directional, access route signs for entrances and path of travel

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Door Hardware and Door Weight Solutions

• Low-Cost Solutions– Tape thumb latch– Leave doors open– Door stop

• Door Hardware Retrofits

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Alert Systems for Door Hardware and Weight and Other Access Issues

Alert systems• Allows voter to push button and

request assistance with heavy door, bad door hardware, locked entrance, etc…..(pushbutton oversized, ADA compliant)

• Available in both permanent installs and temporary – that is packed in case, unpacked, brought out on election day. Over 10,000 of them nationally

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Alert Systems Solve Many Access Barriers

• Level Entry– Door hardware and weight

solution– Solves locked doors

• Alternative Entry– Voter can request assistance

with escort

• Portable Ramp Entry

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• Magnifiers (new BallotMag designed for elections and paper ballots from the ground up)

• Signature Guides • Complete Interior

Accessibility Kits – some states have bought these for each polling location

Other Helpful Solutions

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Adequate Signage

Vote Here With Symbol of Access• Designate accessible locations• Eligible for grants if symbol of

access and sites are accessible• Bilingual available• Use in all precincts brings

uniformity to exterior recognition.

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Four Station PakFlatt Franklin Booth

• Outstanding solutions for both accessibility and general purpose

• The Franklin is the ideal voting booth for Connecticut – several counties have pioneered it

• Appropriate for Vote Centers too!• Packs and stores small• Easy to set up• No removable parts to get lost

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Universal Design/Non-Discriminatory

• Solves issues for voters with and without disabilities– With the 4 station booth all go to same

location – not a “separate” disability booth or system

– Best for ultimate goal of access• Non-discriminatory• Preferred by disability advocates• Consistent with principle of “universal

design”

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Compatible with Paper or DRE Voting

Booth Normally Used for Paper Voting – but can also be used with DRE

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Durability

• Booth is incredibly durable

• Constructed of “Automotive”-grade aluminum

• Booth is so strong it can support 200 lb person standing on shelf

• It can handle the rigors of many elections and storage

• Booths from 20 years ago are still going strong in Europe

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Benefit: Latest and Greatest

• PakFlatt and Inclusion Solutions have perfected the design• Proven 20-year design on original silver booths • Booth refined and upgraded for use in the United States with:

– Ultra rigid and durable shelf– Additional durability for U.S. elections which impose abuse on products– Improved components– Ease of Setup– New Color Scheme (Red White and Blue)

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Benefit: Warranty & Service

Best Warranty in the industry– For 3 years we will “swap out”

any booths no questions asked (except deliberate damage)

– Service at National Distribution Center in Virginia

– Inclusion Solutions is also known for unmatched customer service and responsiveness

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Benefit: Storage and Delivery

• Booth stores in a fraction of the space of other booth styles

• Packs into a very small footprint (roughly the same as for a single booth)

• So small one can fit in the back of a car

• Saves warehouse and storage costs/space

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Benefit: Storage and Delivery

Dozens or hundreds of booths can be stored in a small area

50 booths – or 200 voting stations fits in a surprisingly small area

Westchester County, New York stores 837 booths or over 3,330 stations in a limited warehouse area

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Ease of Setup

• Setup is in a matter of minutes and easy for pollworkers

• Setup is intuitive – but Flyer and Video available Cape Girardeau, Missouri sets up their 75 booths

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Comparison With Single Booths

PakFlatt Franklin• Booths are all single integrated unit• No pieces to lose• No more aggravated pollworkers or

warehouse staff• To create 40 voter stations, you would need

10 booths: 10 pieces total!• 1/20th the total number of parts

5 parts

Single Booths• With single booths, legs fall out, or can get misplaced• Pollworkers and staff frustrated at lost parts• Different configurations for “regular” and“handicapped” booths• To create 40 voter stations, you would need 40 booths, each one with five separate pieces(1 table, 4 legs): 200 pieces total

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Flexible Configurations

• Connecticut’s precincts all are Configured Differently

• But booth can be set up as 4 station, 3 station, or 2 station booth

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Customization

Booth Can Be Customized with Connecticut or County Seals

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Curtain Accessories

• Curtain System seamlessly integrates with booth

• Optional Accessory – about 35% of customers add curtains

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Dustcovers and Lights

• Lights clip onto booth

• Dustcover protects booth during storage and delivery

• Version with Extended Shelf also available

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Proven Success

• Thousands of Units in Place Nationally in 28 states

• Positive feedback from voters, pollworkers, advocates and election officials

• Consistent feedback that it’s the best booth that election officials have ever had

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Specifications

• 61” to frame top• 37.5” to standard writing shelf• 30” to seated accessible shelf• 32” between outside legs• Packed Dimensions 38.5’ *9.5’ *

25’ • Weight 44 lbs• Detailed specifications available

for procurement

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Pricing

•Franklin 4-Station Booth: $799•Franklin ext. Shelf $879•Customization: $29.95•Booth Curtain System $199•Light Set (pack of 4) $99•Shipping: Normally $62 each

Surplus Original Silver Booths also available on clearance for $599 (but only 100 available)

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Next Steps?

•Option 1 – I can write you a quote

•Option 2 – You can try it out for free •Buying booths is a big decision – we want you to have tried it out, shown to staff, & other key decision makers.•So we created the “Sale or Return Program”

•You try out the booth for 30 days – if you don’t like it you return it and we pay return shipping•If you like it you can keep it an we will invoice you•Or you can request more

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Interior Signs & Required Notices

How do you

-post materials in a uniform location?

-not deface wall

-not be too large for supply kit

-have flexibility for different languages and text

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Is Taping Signs Causing Problems?

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Totem Display System: The Answer

Unfolds to 6 feet tall and is self-standing

Pockets allow you to customize content

And it folds up small

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Sale Or Return the Totem

Just Complete the Form and We’ll send you one for review

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Access and Inclusion Solutions

• How Can Connecticut Meet the Requirements of Access?

• Call us at 1-866-232-5487• mmrozkowski

@inclusionsolutions.com

• Complete Form for Samples of booths or totems

• We can help at every stage!