Laserfiche WebLink
Elections has purchased temporary accessibility items so that polling sites are <br />physically accessible. However, there are some sites that are impossible to make <br />accessible such as the Hakalau Gymnasium. The site has been moved to a nearby <br />Buddhist Temple, but it was found to be inaccessible also. The Office of Elections <br />will provide curbside voting in those cases where it is physically impossible to have a <br />physical accessibility. For curbside voting, there will be a bell to ring and someone <br />will come out to you and give you a ballot. <br />The Office of Elections has an inventory of all accessible sites and pictures of all <br />polling places. They have shared all their findings with the Department of Education <br />(DOE) when they use the DOE facilities and the DOE has used them to make their <br />sites accessible. These pictures are also on the web page and all of the polling sites <br />in the State of Hawaii will be on the web page at some point in the future. A person <br />will be able to go on the web page and look up the polling site, address, map to the <br />site,andaballot.ThewebsiteisfullyaccessibleandTVadsaresupposedtobe <br />captioned. <br />Within the polling place, they have auxiliary aids kit. In 2004, these kits were <br />available, but some of the precinct officials were not committed to getting these kits <br />out and informing people it was available. Therefore, the training this year will stress <br />the importance of the auxiliary aids kit. A new kit is available with a magnifying glass <br />and a signature matrix for people who cannot see. If a person wishes to use an <br />electronic voting device, one electronic voting machine will be available at each <br />voting site statewide. These voting machines will also be available at the early vote <br />sites. A person will have the option of voting using a paper ballot or the electronic <br />voting machine. <br />The Office of Elections has worked with DCAB very closely and they have retained a <br />staff member in the Office of Elections, but that person is housed at DCAB. <br />D. Yoshina said he has begun to understand that developmental disabled people are <br />also citizens and they deserve the right to vote independently. They are trying to <br />address those needs now which he didnt think that any of the elections industry <br />people have even begun to address. They are now revisiting this whole area of the <br />developmentally disabled and they are meeting with service providers in the mental <br />health area. They are in the process of developing policy for the County Clerks so <br />they understand that being nearly adjudicated as being incapacitated does not <br />automatically remove somebody from the voting rolls. There are also political party <br />members who are questioning whether care home residents have the capacity to <br />vote. <br />The Office of Elections has an equipment loan program during a non-election year. <br />All of the temporary accessibility equipment may be borrowed by various agencies <br />and returned before the election period. <br />The Office of Elections is trying to recruit people with disabilities to service precinct <br />officials. Some of the requirements are that a person has to be able to lift 25 pounds <br />3 <br /> <br />