§812-A. Accessible voting system
1.
Accessible voting system at each polling place.
The Secretary of State, in compliance with the voting accessibility requirements of the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002, shall provide one direct recording electronic voting machine, or other accessible voting system equipped for individuals with disabilities, for use at each polling place used in the conduct of state elections. Such machines must produce permanent paper records that provide a manual audit capacity for the machines and must also provide voters with audio functions that enable the voters to verify their ballots aurally before the votes are cast, and all such machines must meet the requirements of section 812, subsection 10 unless the Secretary of State is unable to procure machines that the Secretary of State determines are adequate to meet the requirements of this section and section 812 in time to comply with the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
Additional accessible voting machines may be used in the conduct of state elections, but those machines must meet the requirements set forth in section 812.
[PL 2007, c. 455, §52 (AMD).]
2.
Moratorium.
[PL 2003, c. 651, §8 (NEW); MRSA T. 21-A §812-A, sub-§2 (RP).]
3.
Accessible feature for casting write-in vote.
As an accommodation for persons with disabilities, the audio ballot for the accessible voting system under subsection 1 may be programmed to provide an aural presentation of the names of any declared write-in candidates at the end of the list of candidates whose names were listed on the printed ballot so that the voter may cast a vote for a declared write-in candidate in the same manner as voting for a listed candidate. If there is no declared write-in candidate for an office, the audio ballot may provide aural instructions to that effect.
[PL 2009, c. 253, §53 (NEW).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 2003, c. 651, §8 (NEW). PL 2005, c. 445, §2 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 455, §52 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 253, §53 (AMD).