Cape Girardeau County's new booths can accommodate more voters

A grant of more than $67,000 has made it possible for the county to purchase 75 four-station accessible voting booths for upcoming elections.

The units will provide wide booths that have a hard voting surface that can be adjusted to accommodate someone standing or in a wheelchair while providing privacy.

Cape Girardeau County Clerk Kara Clark Summers said the county currently does not have booths that can accommodate voters with special needs.

"But we do have lap boards and tables at each polling location available for voter use, and also in federal elections we use our Accessible DRE Voting Machine," she said. "The 4-Station Free Standing Voter Privacy Booth allows voters with and without disabilities to vote at the same station at the same time."

Clark Summers said the county also provides a curbside voting option for people with disabilities.

The 75 units will be dispersed throughout 26 of the county's 34 polling locations. The eight polls that will not be receiving the booths are not large enough for the unit, she said, but the county is working to provide new booths at those locations.

"We are looking at and negotiating with another county to purchase their used booths," she said. Even though the units are used, she said, they are better than the outdated, unstable booths the county is using.

"We have had instances where our current booths have fallen over due to instability. The 75 four-station booths and the 120 used, but more stable booths, should prevent this from happening in the future," she said.

Miki Gudermuth, executive director and founder of SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence, said that in the past voters with disabilities had to complete their ballots at a table without the benefit of privacy walls.

"It's treating them differently," she said. "It's difficult without privacy. How is that equality?"

Even with the new booths, Gudermuth said, the county still has progress to make in achieving an equal voting experience for all. She said people with impaired vision or mobility issues may have difficulties in voting with the county's current paper ballot method.

Voters unable to see or mark the ballots often rely on others to read them the ballot and select their choices. Gudermuth said that depending on someone else to cast a ballot often discourages voters with disabilities from showing up on election day.

However, Gudermuth is encouraged by the accessible booths purchased by the county.

"It's a good push forward. Every step is a good step," she said.

cbartholomew@semissourian.com

243-8600