http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/judge-orders-ballot-tool-to-help-blind-in-maryland/2014/09/04/7305b448-346b-11e4-9f4d-24103cb8b742_story.html ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- A federal judge says Maryland has failed to ensure the rights of blind and disabled people to vote privately and independently and must implement an online ballot-marking tool for November's elections.
In a case that could have ramifications for other states, U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett found that Maryland was in violation of the American with Disabilities Act. Bennett held a three-day bench trial in Baltimore last month after the National Federation of the Blind sued the state. Mark Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said the order protects the fundamental rights of voters with disabilities by saying they must be able to mark an absentee ballot without being forced to request assistance. He said it puts election officials nationwide on notice about the issue. Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. -- Avinash Shahi Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
