And, although offered today, these machines have yet to be certified by the secretary of the commonwealth, as required by law. However, approximately 440 of our polling places are wheelchair-accessible. And, I might add, our new machines are wheelchair-accessible as well. Our old machines were not. Finally, Your Honor, we ask that you consider Philadelphia's long tradition of neighborhood voting.
Most polling places are within a few blocks of voters' homes.
To meet the goals this suit seeks, we would have to consolidate divisions and switch to a system of regional voting centers that could be made fully ADA-compliant. In other words, to make our polling places handicapped-accessible, we would have to abandon neighborhood voting. Polling places would not be around the corner. They could be a mile or more away. Your Honor, in administering our election system, we seek to address the needs of the many - while attending to those with special needs.