Disability Rights Arizona (DRAZ) undertakes many activities to ensure that Arizonans with disabilities have full access to the electoral process, and the opportunity to cast a private and independent vote. We work to increase voter registration and participation, provide voter education for people with disabilities, work with election officials around the state to improve access to voting and the electoral experience for Arizonans with disabilities, and enforce voting rights.
Disability Rights Arizona (DRAZ) undertakes many activities to ensure that Arizonans with disabilities have full access to the electoral process, and the opportunity to cast a private and independent vote. We work to increase voter registration and participation, provide voter education for people with disabilities, work with election officials around the state to improve access to voting and the electoral experience for Arizonans with disabilities, and enforce voting rights.
In 2020, DRAZ filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Arizona against Cochise County for refusing to provide a reasonable modification to allow Kathleen Hoffard to vote curbside. Ms. Hoffard, a County voter and former poll worker, lives with rheumatoid arthritis and takes medication that makes her immunocompromised. She prefers to vote in-person on election day and the pain of navigating the Vote Center and the risk of Covid transmission meant she needed to use curbside voting.
In 2016, Cochise County stopped providing curbside voting at its voting locations, even as a reasonable modification, stating that all locations were 100% ADA accessible. As a result, Ms. Hoffard was unable to vote curbside in the 2018 election, and subsequent elections.
DRAZ alleged that Cochise County’s refusal to grant the reasonable modification violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and other federal and state disability rights laws. These laws require that public entities take steps to ensure equal access to the voting process for people with disabilities, including providing reasonable modifications where needed. Curbside voting is a critical reasonable modification for providing access to in-person voting for voters with disabilities who are unable to exit their vehicles, navigate a voting location, or enter a voting location because of risk of transmission of other conditions transmissible in crowded areas for those who are immuno-compromised.
After Plaintiff survived Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss and completed some pretrial discovery, Cochise County agreed to settle the matter. As a result, Cochise County will take the following action:
DRAZ is the Protection and Advocacy for Voting Access (PAVA) program for Arizona, created by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
HAVA is a federal law passed by Congress in 2002 to improve our country’s election system. HAVA’s main goal is to make the voting process more inclusive and accessible so that more Americans will become registered voters and participate in elections.
The PAVA program seeks to ensure that individuals with disabilities have full access to the electoral process through a variety of activities including voter registration, voter education, advocacy for necessary reasonable accommodations and accessible polling locations, working with election officials, and assisting voters with disabilities with enforcing their rights to be free from discrimination in voting.
DRAZ operates a voting hotline on Election Days to address election concerns for individuals with disabilities related to the right to vote independently, reasonable accommodations, polling place accessibility, and voting machines.
On Election Days you can call 602-274-6287 or 1-800-927-2260 from 6am – 7pm for assistance.
To learn how to register to vote in Arizona, or update your voter information, visit the Arizona Secretary of State’s Registering to Vote page. There are options available for registering online, by mail, or in person.
To find your polling location, visit the Arizona Secretary of State Voter Information Portal and enter your address. If you are unhoused or do not have a permanent residence, you can still vote. Learn more: Voters without a Permanent Home.
To find the dates for upcoming elections, visit the Arizona Secretary of State Elections Calendar & Upcoming Events page.
For information specific to voters with disabilities, visit the Arizona Clean Elections Commission – Voters with a Disability page.
DRAZ encourages voters to be aware of the sources of election information and be careful of potential misinformation. Rely on trusted and official sources for information regarding elections and voting, such as the Arizona Secretary of State and your County election officials.
For voters with disabilities who are unable to leave their home or facility where they are residing, they may be able to obtain assistance from a Special Elections Board to assist them in voting. When voting through a Special Elections Board, election workers from two different political parties will come to the person to assist them in casting their vote. Contact the Elections Office in your county for information, eligibility and availability on voting through a Special Elections Board.
Voters have the right to be free from intimidation at Arizona polling locations. The Arizona Secretary of State has issued Guidance on Voting Location Conduct to provide Arizona voters more information about their rights and responsibilities, discourage unlawful voter intimidation and suppression, and encourage reporting of suspected violations.
If a person with a disability believes they have been discriminated against in voting because of their disability, they have options for enforcing their rights. If you are trying to vote at a polling location on Election Day, ask an election worker at the polling place for help and if needed contact DRAZ’s election hotline right away – our goal is to try to resolve issues on Election Day so you are able to cast your vote. If you have already been denied the right to vote based on your disability, reach out to DRAZ as soon as possible if you want assistance enforcing your voting rights.
We are committed in providing accurate disability-related legal information and advice to more individuals who need our services and assistance. In addition to limited legal representation, our goal is to provide efficient, streamlined services to educate people with disabilities and their family members on how to enforce their legal rights through self advocacy.
