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City, Township, and County Application for Election Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities (EAID) Grant Program DEADLINE: ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 4:00 P.M., December 4, 2013 In accordance with the requirements of Title II, Subtitle D, Section 261 of Help America Vote Act (42 USC 15461) Minnesota Secretary of State, Mark Ritchie Contents A. General Instructions — Page 1 B. Administrative Questions — Page 2 C. Application Questions — Page 3 D. Improvements Worksheet — Page 4 E. Certification — Page 5 A. General Instructions The State of Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State (OSS) is currently soliciting grant proposals from cities, townships, and counties for accessibility improvements to polling places in Minnesota. The accessibility improvement and the payment amount must be specifically agreed upon in a grant contract entered into by the political subdivision and the OSS prior to commencement of work. The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Election Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities (EAID) has previously allocated funds to OSS. Approximately $125,000 is available to be given in grants to local governments. These funds are available to pay for actual, physical polling place accessibility improvements for individuals with disabilities and for polling place enhancements to allow individuals with disabilities to vote privately and independently. Of the approximately $125,000, a majority has been designated for physical, accessibility improvements to the polling place, such as automatic door openers, disability parking spaces, projects to make bathrooms accessible, ramps, etc. Money has also been designated 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 $6,000 in previous years, with some funded projects being more expensive. Be advised that for more expensive projects (automatic doors, accessible bathrooms, ramps, etc.), we will try to cover a large part of the expense, but may only be able to provide partial funding, with the local jurisdiction having to provide the balance of the funds. Political subdivisions will be responsible for selecting a contractor or staff to produce the awarded accessibility improvement and to pay the contractor or staff, including any cost overruns. The political subdivision will report the expenditures for the specific accessibility improvement to OSS in order to receive reimbursements up to the amount awarded. Political subdivisions will also be required to fully cooperate in any and all federal audits of the grant funds. We expect to notify grantees of the awards by January 2014. The grantee must then approve, execute and return the grant contract to OSS. If there is not a signed contract in place by March 14, 2014, the award will be withdrawn. In order to apply for these EAID funds, political subdivisions must answer all questions fully and completely, and submit a resolution authorizing the application for these funds. An unanswered question or missing resolution could result in the disqualification of the application. If there is a question(s) that is not applicable, please indicate. 1