Voting access

Advocates for the disabled say two federal laws, the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Help America Vote Act, require polling places to be accessible to everyone, including voters using walkers and wheelchairs. State election officials, however, disagree.

A group that monitors accessibility at voting places across Missouri estimates as few as 10 percent of polling places in rural areas are easy to get into by voters using wheelchairs or walkers. In Cape Girardeau County, approximately 50 percent of the polling places are described as easily accessible.

While it seems every effort should be made to ensure voters can get in and out of polling places, there are some alternatives that make sense.

Portable ramps that make doorways more accessible for wheelchairs is one idea. This would certainly be much less expensive than a major retrofitting of some buildings. Missouri law allows voters who can't get into a voting place to vote in their cars. And voters also can use absentee ballots to make sure their choices are counted on Election Day.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the accessibility issue, however, is the fact that few voters ever complain about the problems they encounter at polling places. If the problem is more widespread that that, county election officials should be properly notified.