08/27/2007 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINNESOTA SECRETARY OF STATE OFFICE SUBJECT: ELECTION ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES (EAID) GRANT The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) provides funds for improving the accessibility and quality of polling places. I am pleased to announce that the Office of the Secretary of State has received additional federal grants and will award up to $263,000.00 in grants to city, township, and county governments for polling place accessibility improvement projects. These grants are funded through the National Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Development Disabilities (ADD), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Election Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities (EAID). Of the $263,000, the amount of $242,000 has been designated for physical, accessibility improvements to the polling place, such as automatic door openers, disability parking spaces, etc., and $21,000 for polling place enhancements, such as accessible voting booths, magnifiers, etc., to permit privacy and independence for the voter. Typical grant amounts have ranged from, approximately, $100 up to $12,000 in previous years. As used in the previous HHS Disability Grant cycles, the Office of the Secretary of State, in collaboration with the Minnesota State Council on Disability, developed a diagnostic tool as an aid for self - assessing the accessibility of polling places. It addresses parking, exterior and interior pathways, restrooms, as well as the actual voting experience. Grant funds are for the specific purpose of improving accessibility in the polling place for individuals with disabilities, not for general improvements to the structure itself. The Polling Place Accessibility Diagnostic Tool will assist in determining whether the proposed improvement will improve accessibility. The Polling Place Accessibility Diagnostic Tool is available to all cities, townships, and counties for accessibility self - assessments of their polling places. This tool is not returned to our office. This tool is to be used within the city, township, or county as part of the grant application process for identifying potential polling place accessibility needs. Polling Place Accessibility Diagnostic Tool. If needs are identified, then the local jurisdiction can apply for grant funds for this purpose. EAID Grant Program Application. EAID Appendix A Applications are due to the Office of the Secretary of State by 4:OOpm on September 12, 2007. Grants will be awarded in October, 2007. All work must be completed no later than August 1, 2008. For further information, please contact Todd Pierce, MN HAVA Project Administrator, at Todd.Pierce(astate.mn.us or (651) 201 -1356. Sincerely, Mark Ritchie