By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – By next year's election, New York will have new voting machine technology in place. But advocates for the disabled say they're concerned people with disabilities won't be able to gain access to those new machines because of barriers at polling sites.
New York is slated to get new voting machines in 2006 in compliance with the Help America Vote Act.
But advocates say if this month's elections were any indication, it's as difficult as ever for the state's two million disabled voters to get inside polling places.
Chris Zachmayer of the New York Association for Independent Living says problems range from a lack of handicapped parking spaces to a lack of wheelchair ramps.
"The parking is a problem. They need a ramp. They don't have proper hardware and signage on their doors," said Zachmayer. "Those kind of things that one would think would be a quick and easy fix. The problem is, it's only a quick and easy fix if you fix it."
The new technology under consideration for next year includes touch-screen models or optical scan machinery with backup system that would serve disabled voters.
Advocates say it would be tragic if people with disabilities could not use these more accessible machines because they can't get into their polling sites.