Redwood City, CA - The Center for Independence of the Disabled (CID) in San Mateo County has generously contributed a basic primer to the Elections Office for the purpose of helping poll workers better serve the community of people with disabilities.

“We are always looking for ways to improve the way that we deliver elections to all voters in San Mateo County. Working with CID has been very beneficial in many ways.

This year they donated 500 guides entitled, “Communication with Voters with Disabilities: Poll Workers Guide” to give practical advice to poll workers who will be assisting people with disabilities,” said Warren Slocum, Chief Elections Officer for San Mateo County. The guides will be part of the supplies delivered to each polling location on Election Day—available for reference and review, as needed.

“CID has helped my staff determine the wheelchair accessibility of all the polling locations in San Mateo County. Their expertise and firsthand experience has been invaluable to us. We have moved some polling locations to alternate sites to better serve voters with disabilities,” explained Slocum.

Kent Mickelson, Executive Director of CID said, “Our mission is to improve all aspects of the quality of life for people with disabilities. Voting is such a fundamental right for the people of this country—we are looking forward to 2006 when every voting citizen with disabilities will be guaranteed the same voting experience that others have experienced for years,” he said.

In 2006, the final provisions of the Help America Vote Act, will take effect. These provisions guarantee that all voters have the right to vote independently and in secret. The County is in the process of selecting and acquiring new voting equipment that will serve voters with disabilities.

“This is a historic moment in our American democracy. We believe that next year, we will be serving more voters with disabilities than ever before at the polls. This is very exciting!” said Slocum.

“We will own voting equipment that will make it possible for voters with disabilities to vote independently and in secret. We will have specialized training for our poll workers not only to learn how to operate the new voting machines, but also to help them learn how to best serve people with a variety of disabilities respectfully,” Slocum explained.

“With the help of our partners--CID, the Peninsula Center for the Blind and the Commission on Disabilities, we feel more confident that the voting equipment we purchase, the people that serve as poll workers on Election Day, the training and resources we provide poll workers to do their job and the polling locations we select will support the voters with disabilities in our County,” said Slocum.

Communication with Voters with Disabilities: Poll Workers Guide PDF