In January, a federal district judge in Grand Rapids ruled against the voting rights case filed by lawyers for Michigan Protection and Advocacy last September, said Amy Maes, an attorney with MPAS. MPAS has filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for a ruling. The district judge said that an earlier law, the Voting Rights Act, should prevail. This act states that it is appropriate to have assistance in the voting booth, for example, someone reading the ballot for you, Maes said. Maes said that the state's failure to provide ballots in alternative formats violates Title II of the ADA. In the ruling, the district court judge did not expressly state that Title II would not call for such an accommodation, Maes added.
For a copy of the opinion, or for more information, contact Maes at 1-800-288-5923.