Protection and Advocacy for Voting Access (PAVA)
On October 29, 2002, the President signed into law the Help American Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) to improve the administration of elections in the United States. Among other things, HAVA authorized the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide funds to the P&A of each state and territory under the Protection and Advocacy for Voting Access (PAVA) program to ensure full participation in the electoral process for individuals with disabilities, including registering to vote, casting a vote and accessing polling places. The 2007 priorities for the PAVA program are as follows:
- Education: Equip for Equality will provide education and training to people with disabilities, family members, advocates, election officials and others interested in disability voting issues about the legal requirements and rights provided by HAVA, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other law.
- Materials Development: Equip for Equality will conduct research on state and federal voting issues that impact people with disabilities and develop information sheets and other materials summarizing these issues. Materials will be distributed at trainings, through the intake process, at facilities serving people with disabilities, and will be posted on Equip for Equality's website.
- Outreach: Equip for Equality will coordinate with people with disabilities advocacy organizations, the League of Women Voters and other civil organizations, the National Disability Rights Network, and state and local voting authorities in efforts to enhance access to the voting process. Projects will include registration activities; consultation with voting authorities to assure that access improvements, such as ramps, communication devices, etc., are put in place; a help-line for people with questions or problems to contact on Election Day; accessibility survey of polling places on election day; and participation in the Illinois Disability Vote Project activities such as voter education meetings to provide a forum for identifying and understanding issues affecting voters with disabilities and emphasizing the importance and power of voting in a democracy.
- Individual Advocacy: At a minimum, all individuals who contact Equip for Equality will be provided with information and referral to other sources of assistance. For individuals with disabilities who contact Equip for Equality with disability related problems related to voting, Equip for Equality will provide advice, technical assistance, and advocacy other than litigation. Equip for Equality is specifically prohibited from using PAVA funding for litigation. In the event that litigation in a voting matter is deemed warranted, Equip for Equality will evaluate using other funds for voting related litigation.
- Work with policy makers: Equip for Equality will work with voting officials on the state and local level to assist them in meeting the disability-related requirements and goals of HAVA, the ADA and other laws.
