Help America Vote Act


Fiscal Year 2006 Performance Highlights 

The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was signed into law by President George W. Bush on 
October 29, 2002. Administration of the law’s disability provisions (sections 261 
and 291) was assigned to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, 
who delegated the responsibility to the Administration on Children and Families (ACF) 
who subsequently delegated the responsibility to the Administration on Developmental 
Disabilities (ADD).

Since HAVA was signed into law, ADD has given 452 grants totaling approximately 
$53,000,000. These grants are used to make polling places accessible to individuals 
with disabilities, to provide the same opportunity for access and participation in 
the electoral process (including privacy and independence) to voters with disabilities
as that which exists for voters with no disabilities, to provide training for election
workers on how best to promote access and participation of individuals with disabilities 
in elections for Federal office, and to provide information to individuals with 
disabilities about the accessibility of polling places. All of these provisions apply 
to individuals with the full range of disabilities, not just those with developmental
disabilities.  Progress is being made on the 2007 goal of having all polling places 
fully accessible, including the presence of one voting system within each polling 
place that allows for privacy and independence for voters with disabilities. 

1.State Grants for Election Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities (EAID):
For FY 2006, 55 grants ranging from $100,000 to $1,114,686 were awarded to States, 
(including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American 
Samoa, and the Virgin Islands) to carry out the following activities.
  Make polling places, including path of travel, entrances, exits, and voting areas of 
each polling facility, accessible to individuals with the full range of disabilities.
  Provide the same opportunity for access and participation (including privacy and 
independence) to individuals with the full range of disabilities.
  Provide training for election officials, poll workers, and election volunteers on 
how best to promote the access and participation of individuals with the full range of
disabilities in elections for Federal office.
  Provide individuals with the full range of disabilities with information about the
accessibility of polling places.

2. Protection and Advocacy Systems; Help America to Vote:
For FY 2006, 55 grants ranging from $35,000 to $324,579 were awarded to the Protection 
and Advocacy Systems of each State (including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and Virgin Islands) to support their efforts in
ensuring the full participation in the electoral process for individuals with 
disabilities, including registering to vote, casting a vote, and accessing polling 
places.  

3. Training and Technical Assistance to Assist Protection and Advocacy Systems to 
Establish or Improve Voting Access for Individuals With Disabilities:
This discretionary grant program is funded by 7 percent of the amount appropriated for 
State Protection and Advocacy Systems (see #2 above). Any grant funded by this 7 percent
must be used for training and technical assistance to Protection and Advocacy Systems in
their promotion of self sufficiency and protection of the rights of individuals with
disabilities as this affects the establishment or improvement of access to full
participation in the voting process. This funding is NOT for or to assist State grantees
funded under #1 above. The recipient(s) of these funds must assure that training and
technical assistance will be provided to all Protection and Advocacy Systems throughout 
the Nation. In FY 2006, three grants were awarded for a total amount of $338,115.
 

Find this and other ADD publications on the Web at 

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/add/