AUG 25 1993 X X X RE: Complaint Number XXX [formerly XXX ] Dear Ms. XXX : This constitutes our Letter of Findings with regard to your complaint against the Supervisor of Elections, Pinellas County Florida, under title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA], which prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities an the basis of disability by State and local governments. Specifically, you allege that the Supervisor of Elections of Pinellas County does not provide Braille ballots or an electronic system of voting, such as Voting by telephone, to blind voters. You further allege that the present system of providing assistance at the polling place does not allow a blind voter to cast a secret ballot. The Civil Rights Division has completed its investigation of your complaint. Our investigation revealed that the Supervisor of Elections of Pinellas County follows the Florida statute (Chapter 97.061, F.S.) , which requires the following provisions for voters with visual impairments: 1)the assistance of any two election officials at the polling place; or 2] the assistance of any one person of the individuals choice. Pinellas County also provides a magnifying lens at polling places. In a telephone conversation with our office, Ms. Dorothy Ruggles, Supervisor of Elections, stated that when a blind person comes to the polling place to vote, the poll workers offer a choice of allowing someone the person knows or two poll officials to assist in casting the ballot. 01-0007 -2- Legal Requirements The Department of Justice's regulation implementing title II provides that a public entity must ensure that its communications with individuals with disabilities are as effective as communications with others and must furnish appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to afford an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate in, and enjoy the benefits of, a service, program, or activity conducted by a public entity. 28 C.F.R.  35.160. A public entity is not required to take any steps that would result in a fundamental alteration in the service, program, or activity or in undue financial and administrative burdens. 26 C.F.R.  35.164 In determining what type of auxiliary aid or service is necessary, a public entity must give primary consideration to the requests of the individual with a disability, that is, the public entity must provide an opportunity for individuals with disabilities to request the auxiliary aids and services of their choice and must honor that choice unless it can demonstrate that another effective means of communication exists or that provision of the aid or service requested would result in a fundamental alteration or in undue financial and administrative burdens. 28 C.F.R.  35.160[b][2]; 35.164. Discussion The Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections provides magnifying lenses and readers for individuals with vision impairments seeking to vote. The election procedures specify that an individual who requests assistance will be assisted by two poll workers, or by one person selected by the voter. Your complaint alleged that the provision of assistance to an individual who is unable to fill out a printed ballot is inadequate because it does not allow a blind voter to cast a secret ballot. A Braille ballot, however, would not meet your objective of keeping your vote secret, because it would have to be counted separately and would be readily identifiable. Also, electronic systems of voting by telephone that meet the security requirements necessary for casting ballots are not currently available. Although providing assistance to blind voters does not allow the individual to vote without assistance, it is an effective means of enabling an individual with a vision impairment to cast a ballot. Title II requires a public entity to provide equally effective communications to individuals with disabilities, but 01-00078 -3- "equally effective" encompasses the concept of equivalent, as opposed to identical, services. 1 Poll workers who provide assistance to voters are required to respect the confidentiality of the voter's ballot, and the voter has the option of selecting an individual of his or her choice to provide assistance in place of poll workers. The Supervisor of Elections is not, therefore, required to provide Braille ballots or electronic voting in order to enable individuals with vision impairments to vote without assistance. Based upon the facts and legal requirements discussed above, we have determined that the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections is not in violation of title II with respect to the issues you have raised. If you are dissatisfied with our determination, you may file a private complaint in the appropriate United States District Court under title II of the ADA. You should be aware that no one may intimidate, threaten, coerce, or engage in other discriminatory conduct against anyone who has either taken action or participated in an action to secure rights protected by the ADA. Any individual alleging such harassment or intimidation may file a complaint with the Department of Justice. We would investigate such a complaint if the situation warrants. Under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C.  522, we may be required to release this letter and other correspondence and records related to this complaint in response to a request from a third party. Should we receive such a request, we will safe-guard, to the extent permitted by the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act, the release of information which could constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy. 1/ This interpretation is consistent with long-standing interpretation of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in federally assisted programs and activities. see the discussion of the general prohibitions of discrimination in the preamble to the Department's title II regulation at 56 C.F.R. 35,703 and the analysis of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's original regulation implementing section 504 [later transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services] at 45 C.F.R. pt. 84, Appendix A. 01-00079 -4 If you have any questions please contact Linda King at (202)307-2231. Sincerely, Stewart B. Oneglia Chief Coordination and Review Section Civil Rights Division 01-00080 AUG 26 1993 Ms. Dorothy Walker Ruggles Supervisor of Elections 315 Court Street Clearwater, Florida 34616-5190 RE: Complaint Number XXXX (formerly XXXX ] Dear Ms. Ruggles: This letter constitutes our Letter of Findings with regard to a complaint filed with our office on July 8, 1992, against the Supervisor of Elections, Pinellas County, Florida, under title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability by State and local governments. As Ms. Linda King of my staff explained to you, the complainant alleges that the Supervisor of Elections of Pinellas County does not provide Braille ballots or an electronic system of voting, such as voting by telephone, to blind voters. The complainant further alleges that the present system of providing assistance at the polling place does not allow a blind voter to cast a secret ballot. The Civil Rights Division has completed its investigation of the complaint. Our investigation revealed that the Supervisor of Elections of Pinellas County follows the Florida statute (Chapter 97.061, F.S.) , which requires the following provisions for voters with visual impairments: 1) the assistance of any two election officials at the polling place; or 2) the assistance of any one person of the individuals choice. Pinellas County also provides a magnifying lens at polling places. In a telephone conversation with Ms. King, you stated that when a blind person comes to the polling place to vote, the poll workers offer a choice of udd\Kingllld\LOF.FL 01-00081 -2- allowing someone the person knows or two poll officials to assist in casting the ballot. Legal requirements The Department of Justice's regulation implementing title II provides that a public entity must ensure that its communications with individuals with disabilities are as effective as communications with others and must furnish appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to afford an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate in, and enjoy the benefits of, a service, program, or activity conducted by a public entity. 28 C.F.R.  35.160. A public entity is not required to take any steps that would result in a fundamental alteration in the service, program, or activity or in undue financial and administrative burdens. 28 C.F.R. 35.164 In determining what type of auxiliary aid or service is necessary, a public entity must give primary consideration to the requests of the individual with a disability, that is, the public entity must provide an opportunity for individuals with disabilities to request the auxiliary aids and services of their choice and must honor that choice unless it can demonstrate that another effective means of communication exists or that provision of the aid or service requested would result in a fundamental alteration or undue financial and administrative burdens. 28 C.F.R.  35.160 (b)(2); 35.164. Discussion The Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections provides magnifying lenses and readers for individuals with vision impairments seeking to vote. The election procedures specify that an individual who requests assistance will be assisted by two poll workers, or by one person selected by the voter. The complaint alleged that the provision of assistance to an individual who is unable to fill out a printed ballot is inadequate because it does not allow a blind voter to cast a secret ballot. A Braille ballot, however, would not meet the objective of keeping a vote secret, because it would have to be counted separately and would be readily identifiable. Also, electronic systems of voting by telephone that meet the security requirements necessary for casting ballots are not currently available. Although providing assistance to blind voters does not allow the individual to vote without assistance, it is an effective 01-00082 -3- means of enabling an individual with a vision impairment to cast a ballot. Title II requires a public entity to provide equally effective communications to individuals with disabilities, but "equally effective" encompasses the concept of equivalent, as opposed to identical, services1. Poll workers who provide assistance to voters are required to respect the confidentiality of the voter's ballot, and the voter has the option of selecting an individual of his or her choice to provide assistance in place of poll workers. The Supervisor of Elections is not, therefore, required to provide Braille ballots or electronic voting in order to enable individuals with vision impairments to vote without assistance. Based upon the facts and legal requirements discussed above, we have deter-mined that the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections is not in violation of title II with respect to the issues raised in the complaint. If you have any questions, please contact Linda King at (202) 307-2231. You should be aware that no one may intimidate, threaten, coerce, or engage in other discriminatory conduct against anyone who has either taken action or participated in an action to secure rights protected by the A-DA. Any individual alleging such harassment or intimidation may file a complaint with the Department of Justice. We would investigate such a complaint if the situation warrants. Under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C.  522, we may be required to release this letter and other correspondence and records related to this complaint in response to a request from a third party. Should we receive such a request, we will safe- guard, to the extent permitted by the Freedom of Information 1 This interpretation is consistent with long-standing interpretation of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in federally assisted programs and activities. see the discussion of the general prohibitions of discrimination in the preamble to the Department's title II regulation at 56 FR 35,703 and the analysis of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's original regulation implementing section 504 (later transferred to the Department of Health and Human services) at 45 C.F.R. pt. 84, Appendix A. 01-00083 -4- Act and the Privacy Act, the release of information which could Constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy Sincerely, Stewart B. Oneglia Chief Coordination and Review Section Civil Rights Division 01-00084