"Best fit for all Alabamians"

According to a report in the Montgomery Advertiser, Montgomery County recently announced that its voters will use optical scan voting devices in upcoming elections. Optical scan voting machines utilize a paper ballot similar to the papers school kids use to take standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. The voter marks on the ballot and then the ballot is read by a scanner.

This technology is not new, but has proven to be a very stable method of voting in Alabama. Currently, 64 counties use the devices for election day voting and absentee voting. Another county uses it for its absentee voting but not at polling places.

While these devices have their benefits and have been used successfully, groups have questioned the ability of people with disabilities to use these machines without the assistance of someone else. The Help America Vote Act, passed by Congress in 2002, requires states to implement voting machines by 1 January 2006 that enable people with disabilities to vote like any other citizen: without assistance and in secret.

As stated here by the Disabilities Rights Education and Defense Fund:

"This is a system similar to the standardized tests given in school. The voter marks the appropriate position on the ballot with a number 2 pencil or other approved marking device. The names of the candidates may or may not be printed on the actual ballot, depending on the variety of the system. The ballots are counted on an optical scanning machine, either at the polling place or at a central location.

"Voters who are blind or have vision limitations that interfere with their ability to read cannot use this voting method either independently or privately. Similarly, voters with upper arm limitations may be unable to record their choices privately if they cannot hold a pencil."

Unfortunately, Trey Granger, Montgomery's election director, seems to have a tin ear about the concerns raised by people with disabilities. According to the article in the Advertiser:

"Granger assured [County Commissioner Jiles] Williams the change would not hinder accessibility for different segments of the population.

"'I think optical scan is the right fit for all Alabamians,' Granger said."

Granger's comments are even more surprising since he was formerly the attorney for Secretary of State Nancy Worley and advised her on steps the state must take to comply with the Help America Vote Act. He helped draft the state plan for complying with the federal law. The plan states up front on page 5 that voting systems

" ... shall be accessible for individuals with disabilities, including nonvisual accessibility for the blind and visually impaired, in a manner that provides the same opportunity for access and participation, including privacy and independence as for other voters."

Granger? Worley? Maybe the comments aren't surprising after all.