One voting machine at each Vote Center in Starke County will now be more accessible to physically challenged voters.
During the last meeting of the Starke County Election Board, Clerk Bernadette Manuel said she would purchase special table legs through the Help America Vote Act to accommodate voters in wheelchairs or who would like more ease in voting with a shorter machine table.
The legs are wider which makes it easier for wheelchairs to fit underneath the table on which the voting machine sits.
Thankfully, Manuel said last week she did not have to use the grant funds after all.
“The legs were free of charge,” stated Manuel. “When the new ADA rules took effect quite a few years ago MicroVote was supposed to supply every county with some legs. Starke County and one other county got skipped over. So, now we do have them and we did not have to pay for them.”
Manuel noted that one machine will also be accessible during voting times at the early voting satellite locations as well as at the Starke County Courthouse.
