Deaf voters in Bexar County can only get interpreter assistance at two polling locations, despite disability advocates saying voters should have the ability to get help at the location of their choice.
Deaf people who rely on American Sign Language may need an interpreter’s help at the polls since English is, for them, a second language, and their ability to actually read the ballot can vary widely.
Lia Davis, senior attorney with Disability Rights Texas, said deaf voters who need an interpreter should be able to call ahead and request one at the location and time they want to vote. Davis said she didn’t know enough about any requests for assistance and associated denials in Bexar County to be able to say if county election officials were breaking the law.
“But I do think that if it’s being requested at a certain site and they’re saying, ‘No, we’re not going to offer it at the site. It needs to be offered only at this other location,’ then they aren’t being provided equal access, which is required under the Americans with Disabilities Act,” Davis said.
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