Westmoreland County says disabled voters to have access at all polling locations
The county election board approved location changes for 10 precincts that were not in compliance with American with Disabilities Act requirements.
Westmoreland County officials said Wednesday that all 306 voting precincts for the Nov. 5 presidential election will be accessible to disabled voters.
The county’s election board approved location changes for 10 precincts including eight that were not in compliance with American With Disabilities Act requirements.
“We are 100% ADA compliant,” said Greg McCloskey, director of the county election bureau. “The buildings we changed today were the ones that we could not make temporary changes to comply with the ADA.”
In April, TribLive reported that 16 voting precincts used last spring were not fully accessible for disabled voters and poll workers. Temporary infrastructue such as ramps, call bells and other equipment and signs will be installed at eight of those locations while another eight facilities will be relocated for this fall’s election.
The changes include:
• Allegheny Township No. 2 — from Allegheny Presbyterian Church to Allegheny Township Fire Department, 99 Fire Hill Road, Leechburg.
• Avonmore Borough — from Avonmore Fire Hall to Avonmore Civic Center, 458 Railroad Avenue, Avonmore.
• Loyalhanna Township No. 2 from Novak Oil Company Office Building to Loyalhanna Township Garage, 245 2nd Street, Saltsburg.
• Mt. Pleasant Borough 3rd Ward — from 3rd Ward Fire Station to Mt. Pleasant Emergency Medical Services Center, 100 E. Main Street, Mt. Pleasant.
• Rostraver Township Van Meter — from Stanley Slominany residence to Olive Branch Baptist Church, 296 State Route 981, Rostraver.
• South Huntingdon Township Jacobs Creek — from St. Nicholas Recreation Hall to Barren Run United Methodist Church, Smithton.
• Vandergrift Borough 2nd Ward — from Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 to The Center of Franklin, 262 Franklin Ave., Vandergrift.
• West Newton Borough 3rd Ward — from West Newton Field House to Keystone Rail House Event Center, 115 South 2nd St., West Newton.
Federal law requires all voting precincts used during federal elections to be ADA compliant, but exceptions to that rule allowed the county to continue use of facilities that did not meet required standards, according to officials.
Pennsylvania’s Department of State, which oversees elections, last fall issued guidance to county elections officials that polling locations not accessible to disabled voters can be used when it was not reasonable to make changes and no other viable options were available.
Westmoreland commissioners, acting as the elections board, also approved relocations of two other polling locations:
• New Kensington 4-2, from River Community Church on to Kubrick Enterprise LLC in AK Valley Park, 600 Freeport Road.
• Salem Township — from Congruity Presbyterian Church to the Lion’s Club, 1874 Lion’s Club Road, New Alexandria.
