(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Groups that advocate for people with disabilities are calling on Illinois state government to make voting more accessible to the blind and others ahead of the June primaries.
Marilyn Green, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, was outside the Thompson Center with others Wednesday. They say they won’t have fully accessible primary voting the way they did in the last major election.
State law says that, in November, people with disabilities must be able to vote independently and without assistance. But Denise Avant, immediate past President of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, said the requirement won’t be met by summer.
The State Board of Elections said, in fact, bidding has just closed on a voting system to accommodate the visually impaired that will be similar to the system used for the military overseas.
Officials say they’re in the process of buying the new voting system, and they hope to have it ready in June. But the equipment must first be certified and tested.
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