Arizona Center for Disability La

PAVA was created in 2002 when Congress passed the Help America Vote Act. The Center’s PAVA work focuses on the inaccessibility of polling places to people with disabilities; the lack of private and independent voting for many individuals with disabilities; low voter registration among people with disabilities; and the denial of the right to register and vote for those under a limited guardianship.

1. Voter Registration

The Arizona Center for Disability Law (ACDL) will work in collaboration with the Arizona Disability Vote Project to register voters with disabilities in Arizona. The Arizona Disability Vote Project is a growing coalition of over 20 disability advocacy organizations in Arizona with the goal to increase voter registration and voter participation among Arizonans with disabilities. The ACDL is an active member of the Executive Committee of this coalition. This collaboration with the Arizona Disability Vote Project may include direct financial and staff support for tabling at disability fairs and expos.

The ACDL will continue to distribute voter registration forms to unregistered individuals with disabilities who access our office through our Short Term Assistance Team (intake).

The ACDL will train the Short Term Assistance Team and advocate staff on voter registration requirements in Arizona to increase our ability to serve individuals with voter registration problems.

The ACDL will maintain a “register to vote in Arizona” tab on our website and will continue to educate the public about the importance of voter registration.

2. Voter Participation

The ACDL will staff a hotline on federal election days to assist individuals with disabilities in their right to participate in elections. The hotline will be open from 7:00 am – 7:00 pm on the following days in 2008: Arizona Presidential Preference Primary - Tuesday, February 26, 2008 (Date subject to change to Tuesday, February 5, 2008 by Proclamation of the Governor of Arizona.); Primary Election - Tuesday, August 11, 2008; and General Election - Tuesday, November 4, 2008. Otherwise, the ACDL is open for intake on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm.

Provide individual assistance to people with disabilities who request help in filing a complaint using the State=s HAVA grievance procedure process.

The ACDL will write and publish a self-advocacy guide that will be used by the ACDL and the Arizona Disability Vote Project to educate people with disabilities about their right to vote. The guide will be translated into Spanish, low-literacy and in other alternative formats by request.

The ACDL will educate election officials and poll workers on disability issues through review and input on training curriculum as well as appearances at training events.

The ACDL will work in collaboration with the Arizona Disability Vote Project to educate voters with disabilities about their rights. The ACDL will conduct outreach and education to voters with disabilities in at least 2 rural counties.

The ACDL will continue to monitor and survey polling locations. In fiscal year 2008, the ACDL will sample polling locations in at least 2 rural counties.

The ACDL will continue to advocate for full compliance with federal accessibility requirements with the Arizona Secretary of State=s Office and County Recorders to ensure that polling places are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

The ACDL will monitor state legislation that impacts Arizona’s implementation of the Help America Vote Act. The ACDL will educate state legislators about the impact proposed HAVA legislation may have on people with disabilities.