Thursday, October 05, 2006

Suit: State Election Law Discriminates Against Disabled

See this article by that title about a Virginia case. The article begins:

A state law surrounding absentee ballots unfairly restricts the mentally disabled, stripping those confined to mental hospitals of voting rights, according to a class-action lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of several mentally disabled Virginians.

In the suit, the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy takes aim at a state law that says "any person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of election because of physical disability or physical illness" can vote via mail-in, absentee ballot. The law doesn't extend to those with mental disabilities or illnesses who can't reach the polls because they are confined, VOPA says.

It alleges the law violates the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The suit seeks a revision to state law.

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