L.A. County reaches settlement with Justice Department over ADA violations at voting sites

L.A. County agreed to hire an expert to make its voting sites more accessible to voters with disabilities as part of a settlement announced Thursday with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Under the agreement, the county will hire a consultant for three years who specializes in accessible design to review the county’s array of voting locations and make sure they can be reached by all voters. The county also agreed to publicize its curbside voting program, in which an election worker will bring ballots directly to voters on the street outside voting sites, per the agreement.

“Voters with disabilities are entitled to an equal opportunity to vote in person, privately and independently, alongside their neighbors and friends,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada in a statement. “We commend Los Angeles County for its commitment to work with the Justice Department to ensure equal access for individuals with disabilities.”

The DOJ sued the county last June, accusing officials of failing to ensure that voters with disabilities can get into polling places and cast their ballot during recent elections.

According to the lawsuit, the DOJ had surveyed county voting locations and ballot drop boxes during elections since 2016 and routinely found sites that didn’t meet standards set by the ADA, such as a lack of accessible parking for vans and steep ramps without handrails.

Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan said in a statement that no “systemic deficiencies” had been identified during discovery, but that the county was challenged by old infrastructure.

“Our agreement with the DOJ is focused on this challenge — including the intricacies of sidewalk slopes, public transit access, and clear paths of travel leading to voting areas,” the statement said. “Our mission has always been to provide fair, accessible, and transparent voting services to the voters of Los Angeles County.”