In Dunmore, Pa., Bill Rinaldi has also seen progress. I would say that, of the 260 voting places in our county, about 80 percent of them are accessible now, as opposed to the 20 percent of them that were accessible 10 years ago. Rinaldi points out that most polling places are schools, churches, fire stations or other spots that receive minimal rent for being available on election days. Unless the owners of these sites have other motivations for making them accessible, they won't find it cost-effective to do so just for elections. To avoid the issue of accessibility altogether, some disability groups stress the use of absentee ballots.
Some advocates think the absentee ballot is a poor substitute for going to the polls.
A late-breaking item of disclosure is not something that you can factor in. Rick Twigg, an MDA client and community advocate in Cumberland, Md., agrees that the absentee ballot is a good alternative for those who don't have transportation to the polls. And we want to go into that voting booth alone. The voting booths themselves have to be accessible. Advocates point out that there's a potential voting bloc of some 35 million Americans with disabilities, many times the size of other groups that have a profound influence on elections.