OLRS and SOS provide voter rights training to board of election officials
OLRS and the Ohio Secretary of State's (SOS) office conducted regional trainings to over 200 board of election officials in an effort to improve the voting experiences of people with disabilities. The trainings were held in Champaign, Coshocton, Medina, Putnam and Ross counties and covered issues important to people with disabilities, including accessibility of polling places, accommodations for voters with disabilities and general disability awareness. Kristen Hildebrant, OLRS managing attorney and Brett Harbage, ADA coordinator for the SOS facilitated the trainings. People with disabilities shared their voting experiences and challenges at each training session. The regional trainings provided election officials with valuable information to be used to train poll workers in their counties.
The regional trainings are part of a continued effort with the SOS office. In 2008, OLRS, the SOS office and the Ohio Disability Vote Coalition hosted a "Voter Education for People with Disabilities Forum." The forum brought together organizations, agencies, people with disabilities and other interested parties to identify ways on how best to educate voters with disabilities about the voting process. Participants identified topics for training, effective methods of training and discussed other issues affecting voters with disabilities.
Information about voter training for people with disabilities will be posted on the OLRS web site.
Article posted March 31, 2009
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