The Election Enhancement Project was a proposal by the CEC, CDD and the Office of Disability Policies and Programs, Office of the Governor to improve accessibility of polling places in the CNMI. The primary activities of the proposed project are:
1. Explore accessibility of polling places
2. Providing training and technical assistance to election officials, poll workers, and election with developmental disabilities in election for federal office; and
3. Train workers with developmental disabilities on how to use voting equipment to include various voting machines to allow for equal opportunity for access and participation in the voting process.
CDD in coordination with Northern Marianas College instructor Sam McPheteres, NMC-University of Guam Senior ROTC, the Northern Marianas Protection & Advocacy Systems Inc., and Floyd Masga of the Community Developmental Institute, trained students to conduct the survey on Election Day.
Students were stationed at the entrance of each polling site to distribute the surveys.
The survey is the first of its kind to be conducted for voting purposes in the CNMI. The objective of the voter accessibility survey is to collect data on what modification each polling site is in need of in order to help make the voting experience an accessible one for people with disabilities. The survey was made possible by a grant from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, or ADD.
CDD Executive Director Pam Sablan told Variety: “The purpose of this survey is to pinpoint what the people need at the polling sites. Some polling sites have handicapped parking but with no ramp or railings. It is those little modifications that are needed to make voting more accessible to everyone.”
Sablan said there are more plans to the Election Enhancement Project aside from making small modifications to the polling sites.
She said the grant from the ADD was recently approved to create modifications to the polling sites as well as purchase voting machines to allow for equal opportunity for access and participation in the voting process.
There all kinds of disabilities ranging from physical, cognitive/mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these, and that is why a voting machine is greatly needed.
Sablan said more information about the project will be available after all the data from the surveys are compiled.
