Hindel, Pierce, Denning and The National Federation of the Blind, Inc. v. Ohio Secretary of State
DRO lawsuit claims Ohio Secretary of State’s voting services violate the ADA
Disability Rights Ohio and the law firm of Brown, Goldstein, & Levy, LLP,
filed a federal lawsuit against the office of Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted in December. The suit, filed on behalf of three blind Ohio voters and the National Federation of the Blind, alleges that some voting services in Ohio are not accessible. This is in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A trial is set for April 25, 2016.
Registered Ohio voters Shelbi Hindel, Barbara Pierce, and Marianne Denning are blind and unable to access important voting information and forms on the Secretary of State’s website because of the site’s inaccessible design and inability to work with screen access software. Additionally, because Ohio’s absentee ballots are only available on paper, blind voters are unable to fill them out without assistance–an infringement on their right to cast a ballot privately and independently. The suit asks the court to order Secretary of State Husted’s office to make the changes needed to rectify these problems before the March 15, 2016, primary election in Ohio.
Posted by ohionowelf on February 7th, 2016
