Judge orders ballot tool to help blind in Maryland EDT Sep 05, 2014 wbaltv/news/judge-orders-ballot-tool-to-help-blind-in-maryland/27895184#!bQdBtO ANNAPOLIS, Md. —Maryland has failed to ensure the rights of blind and disabled people to vote privately and independently and must implement an online ballot-marking tool for Novembers elections, a federal judge ruled Thursday. In a case that could have ramifications for how other states provide absentee ballot access for the blind and disabled, U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett found that the state was in violation of the American with Disabilities Act. Bennett held a three-day bench trial in Baltimore last month after the National Federation of the Blind sued the state. This court finds that plaintiffs have been denied meaningful access to the states absentee ballot voting program as mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, Bennett wrote in a 33-page ruling. Mark Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said the order protects the fundamental rights of voters with disabilities by saying they must be able to mark an absentee ballot without being forced to request assistance.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 17:46:36 +0000
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